Calcutta High Court Allows BJP Rally Near Victoria House, Trinamul May Move Supreme Court

The Calcutta High Court ordered municipal police on Friday to permit the BJP to organize a rally on November 29 near Victoria House in Esplanade, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to speak.

The order ended the legal dispute between the state government and the BJP regarding the holding of a demonstration to honor Youth Congress activists who had been killed in a police shooting on July 21, 1993, at the location where the Trinamul Congress has been holding its Sahid Divas for several years.

At the time of the occurrence, Jyoti Basu was the chief minister.

Following the approval of the demonstration by a division bench consisting of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya, sources revealed that the administration intended to petition the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling. The BJP has submitted a warning to the Supreme Court in anticipation of the government's action.

In order to contest Justice Rajashekhar Mantha's oral ruling permitting the BJP to have its rally in front of Victoria House on November 29, the government has sought the division bench. The Calcutta police had not responded to the BJP's request for permission to hold the demonstration close to Victoria House, so the party moved the single-judge panel.

Despite the government's request for the court to hear the plea on November 28, the BJP's Billwadal Bhattacharya's attorney filed an appeal on Thursday, and as a result, the division bench heard the case on Friday.

Attorney Kishore Datta, representing the government, moved the appeal and informed the division bench that Trinamul had not organized any events at the scene of the police shooting other from the Sahid Divas march.

Rallies at Esplanade, he claimed, would cause traffic jams at the important intersection.

"Since the traffic system and movement of pedestrians are generally disrupted due to holding of such gatherings on a busy thoroughfare, police can impose practical guidelines during issuing the permission," the division bench stated in delivering the ruling on Friday.

"The police have to keep in mind that the law and order system of the city is not disturbed on the day," remarked the chief justice.

The directive made it clear that the limitations listed on the Calcutta Police website could only be put into place.

The bench clarified, "Police will not have the liberty to impose any additional restrictions."

The directive is applauded by the BJP.

"The order from the Calcutta High Court was anticipated. The court was aware of Trinamul's desperation to put an end to Amit Shah ji's rally. According to BJP spokesman Samik Bhattacharya, "the order proved that the Trinamul Congress is the most intolerant political party in the country."

Kunal Ghosh, general secretary of Trinamul state, said to ABP Ananda: "Who are the advisors at the top level? Every non-problem is becoming a political issue because of them. I believe Trinamul has the right to host the July 21 demonstration there (Esplanade) as a party soldier. However, I question as a layperson why other political parties would not stage rallies at that time.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.