HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on Monday asked Hyderabad police to grant permission to State BJP general secretary G Pradeep Kumar to organise a dharna at Dharna Chowk on Tuesday. Justice CV Bhaskar Reddy, in his direction to the Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad City, and the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Zone, said that the dharna should be held between 10 am and 5 pm and that the participants should not cross 500.
The court gave the direction on a lunch motion petition seeking permission for the dharna with 1,000 BJP workers. Initially, permission was denied by the authorities citing law and order concerns.
The dharna is intended to address the issue of “allotment of double bedroom houses” to eligible poor individuals in the State. The petitioner’s counsel, B Rachna, argued that the flagship 2BHK scheme of the State government was not being implemented transparently, resulting in ineligible persons being allotted houses that were of substandard quality.
The petitioner also highlighted an incident where Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy’s visit to the housing project at Batasingaram was restrained by the police for undisclosed reasons.
The government pleader for Home, Telangana State, expressed concern over granting permission for the dharna with 1,000 people, citing potential law and order issues and the risk of damage to a newly constructed steel bridge set for inauguration at Indira Park.
Justice CV Bhaskar Reddy dismissed the contentions of the government, emphasising that it is a fundamental right of citizens to express their dissent and opinions against the government.