HYDERABAD: Justice B Vijaysen Reddy of the Telangana High Court on Monday accorded State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Bandi Sanjay Kumar conditional permission to hold a public meeting 3 km away from Bhainsa town and launch his fifth phase of Praja Sangrama Yatra.
As per the conditions laid down by the court, the petitioner is required to provide the police with a route plan for his padayatra in advance. He must also make sure that none of the party workers or leaders uses slogans that are offensive to any religion; no sticks should be carried by those participating in the public meeting. The proposed public meeting shall be conducted on the outskirts of Bhainsa town only between 3 pm and 5 pm. The court observed that if Y Junction, the original venue of Sanjay’s public meeting scheduled for Monday, is 3 km away from the town, it could be used for the purpose. Otherwise, it should be changed, the judge said.
The court further directed that the padayatra should be held outside Bhainsa town with not more than 500 people and that not more than 3,000 people should attend the public meeting. The court also directed the police to prevent any untoward incident during the yatra. However, the police were given a free hand to take action against anyone who disobey the rules and the petitioners would be held responsible for any damage to public property.
The petitioner was allowed to conduct the meeting and padayatra on Tuesday as per the same conditions laid down by the court if Monday’s scheduled event was postponed for any reason.
Defending the police action of denying permission to the BJP State president’s campaign, J Ramchander Rao, Additional Advocate General (AAG), said that the application of the Telangana BJP general secretary stated that permission was sought for Praja Sangrama Yatra.“Sangrama means war. Against whom has the BJP declared war? Bhainsa has a history of violence. In the current context, it’s not proper to provide permission to the BJP to organise this Praja Sangrama Yatra since there is a high risk of religious hatred and discord spreading. December 6 (the day when Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was demolished) is approaching as well,” he informed the court.
“The police are keeping a close eye on the situation. Bhainsa is a communally sensitive location. It will be
a concern if previous events are overlooked,” the Additional Advocate General added. According to counsel for BJP, it is the responsibility of the police to keep everything under control.
After hearing both arguments from both sides, the court granted BJP State president Bandi Sanjay permission to hold the public gathering and Praja Sangrama Yatra.
BANDI REACHES NIRMAL
Karimnagar/Adilabad: State BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who was granted permission by the Telangana High Court to go ahead with the fifth phase of the Praja Sangrama Yatra on Monday, left for Nirmal in the afternoon.
He was received by party workers in Nirmal upon his arrival later in the evening. As per the high court’s order, Sanjay will resume his yatra from Mahagaon in Mudhole constituency, 3 km away from Bhainsa town, on Tuesday after addressing a public meeting there. He has also been asked to provide a route map of the padayatra to the police