E-Paper
Calcutta HC allows Mamata-led TMC to hold rally on Wednesday
Justice Saugata Bhattacharya directed that the rally would start from Ballygunge Phari, move along Hazra Road and end at Hazra four-point intersection
The Calcutta high court on Tuesday allowed the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress to hold a youth wing rally in south Kolkata on Wednesday, setting aside a police decision to disallow it.
Justice Saugata Bhattacharya, however, directed that the rally would start from Ballygunge Phari, move along Hazra Road and end at Hazra four-point intersection, not Lansdowne Market as previously planned by the TMC.
The court also told the TMC to hold the rally between 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm to avoid rush hour traffic on a weekday.
The rally is being organsied in protest against the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl at South 24 Parganas district’s Baruipur on Sunday.
The petition alleged that the Kolkata Police denied permission for the rally on Monday, saying it would cause inconvenience to people and pointed to the presence of a hospital and several schools in the area.
Senior lawyer and TMC Lok Sabha member Kalyan Banerjee argued that a government could not dictate when a party should hold a rally.
Appearing for the state, additional advocate general Rajdeep Majumdar argued that the application for permission was not filed 15 days in advance, a mandatory rule. The court did not consider this argument.
