BELAGAVI: The Congress government seems to be inviting trouble and wrath of the mutts and devotees by introducing a Bill to amend the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments legislation , which allows the government to take over mutts and temples, if they are in trouble. According to a mutt head from north Karnataka, the Bill is ' draconian ' in nature. If one goes by the Bill's provisions, the government seems to treading the path of colonial rulers by trying to get the powers to intervene and take over the mutts and temples even if there is small problem with their management,'' the seer said.

The legislation tabled in the assembly on Saturday took the BJP by surprise, which was staging a dharna in the House on the issue of tainted ministers. The party announced it would launch an agitation against the Bill.

The move to include mutts under the purview of the Act was fall out of state government's special leave petition filed before the Supreme Court in connection with a suit involving Sahasra Lingeshwara Swamy Devestan, Uppinangadi in Dakshina Kannada.

As the per the legislation, the state government can take over a mutt if the head of the institution voluntarily applies for doing so, or if the head of the mutt is a minor without a duly appointed guardian or is physically or mentally unable to manage the affairs of the mutt or f the head of the mutt expires without appointing any successor or if there is dispute regarding the right of succession.

The legislation also empowers the government to take ove the mutts merely on complaints filed by disciples also. Besides, if the muzrai commissioner is convinced that the mutt is being mismanaged, it can be taken over by issuing a show-cause notice. However, the Bill mandates that after the take over the government must use the income generated out of mutts for the insttituion's maintenance and properties attached to it.

"There was no necessity on the part of the government to introduce the Bill in such a hurry. None of us were informed about the Bill nor provided a copy of it. We got to know about it after going through the day's business agenda.The government's meticulous plan to introduce such a controversial Bill in a hurried manner proves its hidden agenda to take control of mutts and religious organizations. All mutts seers will protest against this legislation. If the Bill becomes an Act, the government can take over big mutts like Hubbali's Moorsavira mutt which is embroiled in a controversy on the successor issue," Jagdish shettar, opposition leader in the assembly.