The Calcutta High Court on Friday granted permission to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to conduct a rally on November 29 near Victoria House at Esplanade, the same location where the ruling Trinamool Congress holds its annual ‘Shaheed Divas (Martyrs’ Day)’ rally on July 21.
A division bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya, upheld the single bench order and rejected the petition filed by the West Bengal government opposing the rally.
The government had sought the High Court’s intervention on November 23 after a single-judge bench criticized the Kolkata Police for denying permission for the BJP rally without apparent reasons.
The Court observed that while the advisory suggested applying two to three weeks prior, the discretion vested with authorities, and the advisory wasn’t a rigid rule.
The state BJP unit welcomed the decision, considering it “historical.” West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar expressed gratitude to the judiciary for upholding their right to conduct the program.
