Lord Ganesh idol has been installed on Wednesday at the Hubballi-Dharwad Idgah ground after, in a late-night hearing on Tuesday, Karnataka High Court upheld the order of the municipal commissioner allowing the Ganesh Chaturthi festival to be held at the venue.
Justice Ashok S Kinagi held that the Hubballi-Dharwad Idgah ground property belonged to the Dharwad municipality and Anjuman-e-Islam was only a leaseholder.
Labhu Ram, CP Hubballi-Dharwad, told news agency ANI the situation in the area is peaceful and all the arrangements have been made to maintain harmony.
K Govardhan Rao, Convener, Rani Chennamma Maidan Gajanan Utsav Mahamandal told news agency ANI that the venue will be used for the Ganpati festival for three days and all municipal instructions will be duly followed.
"Puja will be conducted in the traditional way and we're going to celebrate this festival for 3 days as per the direction of the Municipal Corporation. We're going to follow all instructions that have been given," K Govardhan Rao said.
The municipal commissioner's order to allow the Ganeshotsav festival to be celebrated in the Hubballi-Dharwad Idgah ground was challenged in court by Anjuman-e-Islam.
Anjuman-e-Islam had claimed that the property in question was protected under the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which says no religious place of worship can be converted.
The high court said in the case of the property in question, it was not a religious place of worship and was allowed for prayers only during Bakrid and Ramzan. During other times, it was used for purposes like a marketplace and a parking lot.