HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has directed the Hyderabad City police commissioner to consider permission for two bike rallies proposed as part of September 17 celebrations, questioning the authorities' decision to reject the requests without exploring alternatives.
Justice T Madhavi Devi passed the orders while disposing of two writ petitions filed by way of lunch motion.
One Andela Sriramulu Yadav had sought permission for a rally of 150 bikes carrying national flags from Balapur Shivaji Chowk to the Bhagyalakshmi temple abutting the Charminar on September 12, from 10 am to 1 pm.
In the second petition, BJP state Mahila Morcha president Y Shilpa Reddy sought permission for a 150-bike scooty/bike rally from the Charminar-Bhagyalakshmi temple to the Sardar Patel statue at the Assembly on September 15, during the same hours.
During the hearing, Justice Madhavi questioned how a rally carrying national flags could lead to communal violence. She observed that any increase in traffic caused by the 150 bikes could be regulated, including by altering the timings.
The judge said the authorities appeared to have rejected the applications outright instead of considering alternatives. "Travelling with a national flag should not have any restrictions," she remarked, adding that law-abiding citizens should be permitted to conduct such activities subject to compliance with the law.
The court directed the Commissioner to consider the applications and pass appropriate orders, with reasonable conditions on the proposed routes and timings, if necessary.
Both petitions were disposed of.