The Mahashivaratri puja at the Raghava Chaitanya Shivalinga in Aland town, Kalaburagi district, was conducted on Sunday under tight police watch. This took place after the Karnataka High Court permitted 13 petitioners to perform rituals, including Rudrabhisheka, between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. A group performed rituals from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. All devotees were frisked, and no mobile phones or electronic gadgets were allowed inside. Security was intense, with nearly 1,000 personnel from the District Armed Reserve and Karnataka State Reserve Police deployed. Around 40 CCTV cameras and four drones monitored the area to ensure safety. The district imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita across Aland from Saturday 10 p.m. until Sunday midnight. Roads were barricaded, vehicles restricted, and buses stopped 2 km away. The dargah managing committee challenged the High Court’s order in the Supreme Court seeking to stop pujas on Waqf property. The Supreme Court dismissed their plea as withdrawn. With judicial clearance secured, the puja was conducted peacefully and under strict police supervision. Two groups of petitioners performed the rituals. Siddaramaiah Hiremath conducted puja individually while Gurushant Tengli led a second group of 12 members. Petitioners included Siddaramaiah Hiremath, Gurushant Tengli, Harshanand Subhash Guttedar, Rakesh Jamadar, Shivaraj Bali, Ashok Bagali, Mallikarjun Savalagi, Shivaputra Nadigeri, Mallikarjun Kandgol, Veeranna Hattargi, Raju Chauhan, Hanumanthrao Patil, Ravi Madankar, and Malakanna Hirepujari. In 2022, tensions flared in Aland during Mahashivaratri when Urs celebrations clashed, causing arrests and strict prohibitory orders. Serious security steps this year reflect lessons learned from those incidents.