The Himachal Pradesh high court has dismissed a petition seeking an official invitation and associated facilities for Devta Bansheera Maharaj Sidhwan at the International Kullu Dussehra festival, upholding the decision of Kullu deputy commissioner (DC).
The deity’s name was also not found in the historical revenue records or the Wajib-ul-Arz, a document recording customary rights and practices in a village. The court noted that Devta Bansheera Maharaj Sidhwan originated in 1990 following a separation from the original Devta Bansheera.
The court observed that “no documented criteria exist” for inviting deities to the festival and that the Kullu Dussehra Festival Committee had been following tradition as the principal benchmark.
The petitioner had approached the HC after its request for participation was rejected despite an earlier court direction requiring the competent authority to consider its representation in accordance with law and in light of an inquiry report.
The Kullu Dussehra Festival Committee and the District Devta Kardar Sangh had opposed the petition, citing financial constraints, a shortage of space and resolutions against providing official facilities to uninvited personal or family deities, commonly referred to as gharelu devtas.
