KOLKATA: The Kolkata High Court on Friday allowed the BJP to hold a rally in front of the Victoria House at Esplanade in central Kolkata on November 29, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to speak.
The ruling Trinamool Congress organises its annual mega event, Martyrs’ Day on July 21, at the same venue. This will give the saffron camp an opportunity to show its strength ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The division bench headed by Chief Justice TS Shivagnanam turned down the state government’s petition against holding the rally, upholding the earlier order of a single-judge bench. The single-judge bench had dismissed the Kolkata police’s advisory that said the application will only be taken into consideration if applied two to three weeks prior, neither before or after, to the scheduled programme. The BJP had filed the application 23 days prior.
“The advisory was not a statute. It cannot be taken as a rigid rule and there was discretion vested with the authorities,” the division bench said. With the high court’s order, BJP will be the first political party other than the TMC to hold a rally at the same venue in the recent past. Party insiders said the TMC has got the first contender in its signature venue, and others will queue up.
The single-judge bench of the high court had pulled up the Kolkata police on November 20 for denying permission for the BJP rally at the same venue twice with no apparent reason. Taking notice of the fact that processions, rallies and meetings “are a regular feature in the state of West Bengal and more particularly in Kolkata”, the division bench, also comprising Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya, observed that there have been several instances that have come to the notice of the court where rallies, meetings and agitations have been held for which no permission has been obtained.