Kolkata: The Calcutta high court on Thursday allowed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘Rath Yatra’ programme in West Bengal, setting aside the state government’s refusal due to apprehensions of communal unrest. Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty directed the state BJP to inform the superintendents of police of the districts, in which the rallies shall enter, at least 12 hours ahead of schedule.
The party was also directed to ensure that the yatras are conducted while abiding by the law without impeding normal movement of vehicular traffic. Justice Chakraborty said that the petitioner BJP will be vicariously responsible for any damage or loss of public property. He also directed that the police shall deploy adequate force to ensure that there is no breach of law and order.
The BJP has welcomed the verdict, calling it a “victory of democracy”.
“It is a victory of democracy and the people of West Bengal. It is a defeat of those who are murdering democracy here. The state government without any reason had said that this Rath Yatra will deteriorate the law and order situation here. The court has rejected this theory and said it is the duty of the administration to ensure law and order and directed it to provide adequate security to all three of our rallies. The court has asked us to conduct the rallies peacefully and we will abide by that. The court has also directed us to inform respective district administrations 12 hours prior to our yatras entering those districts. We welcome this verdict,” Indian Express quoted state BJP vice-president Joy Prakash Majumdar as saying.
The party had planned three ‘Rath Yatras’ from different parts of the state. The chariots were meant to travel across the state’s 42 parliamentary constituencies over one-and-a-half months. The state BJP had moved the court challenging the state government’s denial of permission to its programme.
Intelligence reports indicated that “in several districts, organisations with overtly communal agenda, such as the RSS, the Bajrang Dal and the VHP, would actively join the yatra. There is a grave apprehension of major breach of peace… during and after the yatra”, the state government said in the letter denying permission.
The BJP moved a division bench of the Calcutta high court after a single-judge bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty refused permission to the party to hold the yatra.
(With PTI inputs)