Karnataka High Court dismisses petition challenging appointment of administrator to Kannada Sahitya Parishat

The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday dismissed a petition challenging a September 2025 order of the State government appointing an administrator to the Kannada Sahitya Parishat.

However, the court made it clear that continuance of the administrator remains governed by provisions of Section 27 of the Karnataka Societies Registration Act, 1960.

Within statute

“Nothing in this order is to be read as approving any further extension which will have to stand out on its own recorded reason and within the limits of the statute,” said Justice Suraj Govindaraj while reading out the operative portion of the verdict. The full copy is yet to released.

He passed the order while dismissing a petition by Mahesh Joshi, who was president of the parishat before the government appointed the administrator in his place. The government appointed the administrator alleging that the parishat’s governing body refused to cooperate with an enquiry order by the government into allegations of financial mismanagement by the parishat last year.

No opinion on correctness

Meanwhile, the court also made it clear that this order has not expressed any opinion on the correctness of the findings in the enquiry report, any proceeding that may have been on the basis of that report, and the order suspending or removing the petitioner from membership. All these issues are left open to be decided in accordance with law, the court said.