Tipu was a king not a freedom fighter observes Karnataka CJ

Tipu Sultan was a king and fought against the British to safeguard his kingdom. He was no freedom fighter." This was an observation made by the Chief Justice of Karnataka S K Mukherjee while hearing a petition seeking to stall the celebration of Tipu Jayanthi in Karnataka on November 9.

While making the observations, the High Court posted the matter for hearing on Thursday. The Chief Justice also sought to know from the government why it was keen on celebrating a king, "As far as I have learnt from history, Tipu was just a king. Why is the government so keen on celebrating him?", asked Justice Mukherjee.

The petition was filed by Manjunath a resident of Kodagu district. He sought a stay on the Tipu Jayanthi celebrations on November 10.