NEW DELHI, Oct. 30 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday rebuked a Maharashtra-based seer facing an externment order in Karnataka for his derogatory remarks observing that religious leaders should be circumspect in their speech as their utterances have the potential to flare up religious sentiments. The court was considering a petition filed by Adrushya Kadsiddeshwar Swamiji, the head of the Shri Sidhagiri Mutt at Kaneri in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district who knocked the top court's door against an order passed on October 15 restraining him from entering the Vijayapura district in Karnataka for a two- month period from October 16 to December 14. The high court had earlier dismissed his petition on October 17. Upholding the HC order, the top court said that the spiritual leader was himself responsible for the order under challenge pointing out that a seer should maintain his cool and should act responsibly without using any derogatory language.A bench of justices Pankaj Mithal and PB Varale said, "As a religious leader, you should be very careful what you speak. For this order, you are responsible. A common man can get flared up listening to these words." The high court too had passed scathing remarks against the seer holding that his utterances "contained language that was clearly abusive and unbecoming of a spiritual leader" and that a spiritual leader like him "is expected to exemplify tolerance and self-restraint, and to rise above personal grievances in order to promote harmony and mutual respect among communities." Sharing the same sentiment, the top court said, "Being a spiritual person, you have to maintain your cool and not use abusive language. You are expected to be more responsible" The court narrated the story of Sant Eknath who faced a group of boys who always used to throw cow dung and abuse him while he carried the water for the river Ganges to his village. "This happened on 12 occasions but on every occasion he did not react," said justice Varale. The Karnataka government had cited police and intelligence reports to justify its order prohibiting the Kaneri Mutt Mathadipathi from entering Vijayapura where he was expected to visit on October 17. This followed his recent comments made at Biluru village in Maharashtra where he reportedly blamed the Karnataka government for siding with Lingayat pontiffs. He further accused this group of Lingayat seers of campaigning that "God is not in temples; don't go to temples. Take the gods from your houses, throw them into the drain, go to hotels, drink liquor, relax, eat meat."...