The Karnataka government is considering a Bill to regulate the use of government premises and public property, including by unregistered organisations, in a move that comes amid state home minister Priyank Kharge’s continuing confrontation with the RSS over its activities in public spaces.
Sources said the state cabinet discussed on Thursday ‘The Karnataka Regulation of Use of Government Premises and Public Property Bill, 2026’. The proposed legislation would require any organisation, including an unregistered one, to obtain permission from the concerned authority before holding an event on government premises or public property.
Sources said the move is likely to affect RSS activities, including shakhas held in government schools, colleges, public grounds and other government-owned spaces. Groups such as the RSS would have to seek official permission before using such premises, they said.
The proposal comes amid a row between Kharge and the RSS that began last year when the minister sought a ban on RSS activities in government institutions and public spaces. In a letter to then chief minister Siddaramaiah, Kharge had alleged that the RSS was conducting shakhas in government and government-aided schools and on public grounds, where “slogans are shouted, and negative ideas are instilled in the minds of children and youth”.
According to Kharge, such activities “go against India’s unity and the spirit of the Constitution”. He had sought a ban on RSS activities in government and aided schools, colleges, public grounds, parks, Muzrai temples, archaeological sites and other government land. Siddaramaiah subsequently directed officials to take action, and the state later moved to regulate the use of public properties.
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