Calcutta HC grants permission for twin Ram Navami processions in Bengal's Howrah

Kolkata, April 4 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court on Friday granted permission to conduct to two organisations, Anjani Putra Sena (APS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to conduct two processions at Kolkata-adjacent Howrah district in West Bengal on the occasion of Ram Navami on April 6.

The two organisations approached the Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh for permission to conduct the procession after the police denied them the permission on grounds that had been precedents in those two areas in Howrah district over the Ram Navami processions.

However, Justice Ghosh on Friday permitted the rallies and also observed that if there is tension during Durga Puja in any area, the Pujas in these areas are not stopped.

He also questioned whether tension is a regular affair in those two areas and observed that the state police could be portrayed in a bad light if there is a law and order problem in an area in the state.

Justice Ghosh also observed that if law and order could be an issue for denying permission, that there should be a ban on all types of processions, including political rallies.

However, the single-judge bench imposed several restrictions on the two processions. As per the court order, while the ASP procession will be between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. on April 6, the same for VHP will be between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on the same day.

The maximum gathering in the two rallies combined should not exceed 1,000. No metallic weapons will be carried at the processions and the identities of all the participants should be submitted to the police.

There is also a bar on the use of DJs at the processions and the organisers of the two rallies will have to ensure that provocative statements are uttered during the processions.

--IANS

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