The litigation related to grant of permission for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) route marches and public meetings at 50 places across Tamil Nadu witnessed yet another twist on Wednesday.
The police told the Madras High Court that they granted permission only at three places, were agreeable to permit the events at 23 places if they were conducted in open grounds with compound walls, and it would not at all be possible for them to permit the events at the 24 other locations because of law and order issues.
Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan was told by senior counsel N.R. Elango, representing the State, that the police had no objection to the route marches scheduled for November 6 at three places in the districts of Kallakurichi, Cuddalore and Perambalur.
However, he cited intelligence reports, received after the October 23 car blast, for the district police officers to have individually decided that it would not be possible to grant permission at 24 locations.
The submissions were made during the hearing of a batch of contempt of court petitions filed by the RSS office-bearers against the Home Secretary, the Director-General of Police and other police officials for having disobeyed the orders passed by the court on September 22. Then, the judge had directed the police to grant permission for the route marches originally planned to be held on October 2, Gandhi Jayanthi, by imposing reasonable restrictions at all 50 locations.
Reasons accepted
In the alternative, he directed the police to grant permission at all 50 locations for November 6 and adjourned the hearing to October 31 for reporting compliance.
Accordingly, on Monday, State Public Prosecutor Hasan Mohammed Jinnah produced a communication issued by the DGP to all Commissioners and Superintendents of Police on Saturday instructing them to grant permission for the route marches on November 6 subject to the local law and order situation. After taking note of the communication, the judge adjourned the hearing to Wednesday to find out how many officials granted permission.
‘Police playing politics’
Taking strong exception to the marches having been permitted only at three places, senior counsel G. Rajagopalan, N.L. Rajah and S. Prabakaran, representing the contempt petitioners, accused the police of playing politics.
They wondered how could the State on the one hand claim to be the most peaceful place in the country and on the other fear law and order problems only when it comes to granting permission for RSS marches. They also said it would not be possible to conduct the events in open grounds.
Mr. Elango told the court that the police had the twin responsibility of upholding the right of an organisation to take out marches and safeguarding the life and liberty of the citizens. “This is the ground reality. This is not a matter fit for any politics,” he told the court and submitted a sealed cover containing intelligence reports based on which decisions had been taken to reject permission at 24 places and grant conditional permission at 23 other places.
He said the Commissioners as well as Superintendents of Police had undertaken an assessment of the situation within their jurisdiction, following the Coimbatore car blast, and had taken decisions accordingly. After hearing both sides, the judge said he would peruse the intelligence reports and pass orders on Friday.
