HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad High Court on Friday said that some of the reasons given by the police in rejecting permission for the proposed “Amarula Spoorthy Yatra” by the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) were not rational and it would examine the issue of granting permission to the said yatra if the petitioner comes up with alternative dates. The court said it would decide on the fundamental rights violation issue.
Justice S V Bhatt said this while dealing with a petition by TJAC, represented by its co-convenor Gopala Sharma, challenging the inaction of the police in not responding to its representation given to the state DGP and SPs concerned in the first week of October. The petitioner organisation sought court’s direction to the SPs concerned to accord permission to hold its yatra, including road show and public meeting, in Nalgonda, Yadadri, Bhuvanagiri and Suryapet districts from October 21 and 22. When the matter came up for hearing earlier in the day, petitioner’s counsel B Rachna Reddy pointed out that there was no response from the authorities till date to the request made seeking permission for the yatra.
Additional advocate general J Ramachandra Rao told the court that the petitioner’s request has been rejected. The judge then directed the AAG to serve the rejection order copy on the petitioner and adjourned hearing to 2.30 pm. When the hearing resumed, rejection order was served and a copy was submitted to the court.
The judge questioned the government as to why there was delay in rejecting to the permission a day before the proposed rally even when the petitioner had applied for it several days before. In reply, the AAG said that as per intelligence reports there was scope for entry of anti-social elements with the petitioner’s rally and may lead to law and order problem. Reacting to these submissions, the Judge said that permission could have been accorded to the rally by stipulating certain conditions since the state has got the responsibility to maintain law and order.
At this stage, the petitioner’s counsel told the court that the police were resorting to arrest those who intend to participate in the TJAC’s yatra. The Court would hear on Monday on the validity of the orders passed by the police rejecting permission and the reasons cited therein, the judge said.