Calcutta HC Allows TMC Rally With Conditions In Kolkata Today
The HC order came after her loyalists, represented by party MP Kalyan Banerjee, filed a writ petition on Tuesday alleging that the Kolkata Police had denied them permission to hold the rally for inconvenience: Reports
KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court has granted permission to Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee’s loyalists to take out a protest rally under strict conditions in the city on Wednesday over several issues including the recent gangrape and murder of a girl at Baruipur in South 24 Parganas of West Bengal. Ms Banerjee is expected to lead the march. If she does, it will be the fourth time for her to hit the streets after losing power to BJP.
The HC order came after her loyalists, represented by party MP Kalyan Banerjee, filed a writ petition on Tuesday alleging that the Kolkata Police had denied them permission to hold the rally for inconvenience. They also cited the communication from the joint commissioner of (headquarters) to them on Monday following their application on July 1.
Additional advocate general Rajdeep Majumdar however pointed out that the petitioner was required, according to a 2023 HC judgment, to give a 15-day notice to seek permission for the event. Hearing submissions of both sides, Justice Sougata Bhattacharya of the HC gave the permission to Ms Banerjee's loyalists but issued several guidelines for the rally including its route, time, location and strength of crowd.
The list of conditions also has some tweaks. The rally will start from Ballygunge Phari crossing and end at Hazra crossing after passing through Hazra Road in South Kolkata. It was earlier supposed to end at Lansdowne Market on Sarat Bose Road in the vicinity. The rally time has also been rescheduled at 2.30 pm-4.30 pm from the previous plan 3 pm-6 pm. Besides, the use of loudspeakers has been banned at the rally.
The HC has directed the organisers to use handheld microphones only and keep one flank of the rally route on the road open for vehicular traffic movement. It has further mandated that the rally should not exceed 1,000 participants. The TMC loyal camp got the green signal on a day chief minister Suvendu Adhikari and his cabinet colleagues visited the victim's family members at Baruipur.