Sat Apr 12 12:36:19 UTC 2025: ## Kannada Sahitya Parishat President Accused of Authoritarian Rule, Activists Demand Government Intervention

**Shivamogga, Karnataka, April 12, 2025** – A group of writers and activists in Shivamogga have accused Mahesh Joshi, president of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP), of acting as a dictator and violating democratic principles. They are calling on the Karnataka state government to appoint an administrator to oversee the KSP and launch an inquiry into Joshi’s conduct.

At a press conference on Saturday, advocate and social activist K.P. Sripal alleged that Joshi has been making unilateral decisions, including issuing a notice to the democratically elected Shivamogga district president, D. Manjunath, for questioning his actions. Sripal warned that Joshi’s actions threaten the KSP’s reputation and announced a protest against Joshi in Shivamogga on April 15th.

Journalist and KSP life member Honnali Chandrashekhar echoed these concerns, highlighting Joshi’s amendment of the KSP by-laws to allow him to nominate members to the executive committee with voting rights. This, Chandrashekhar argued, allows Joshi to effectively control the committee’s decisions. Further concerns were raised about the location of the upcoming general body meeting on April 27th in Nandihalli, Ballari, claiming the venue’s limited capacity is designed to restrict participation and push through further power-enhancing amendments. Chandrashekhar urged life members to attend and oppose these changes.

The press conference was attended by several other writers and activists, including B. Chandre Gowda and Akshatha Hunchandakatte. The group’s demands for government intervention underscore growing concerns about the alleged erosion of democratic processes within the prestigious Kannada literary organization.

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