Supreme Court denies BJP permission to hold Rath Yatra in West Bengal

Jan 15 (AZINS) The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) to hold rath yatra in the state of West Bengal. The apex court held that the apprehension of possible law and order situation expressed by the state government based on intelligence inputs is not unfounded.

However, the BJP could go ahead with its 150 meetings as planned since the Mamata Banerjee's government had no objection to it provided the details of such meetings to the state.

It should be noted that the BJP still has a chance to submit a revised proposal on the rath yatra to the state. But on condition that the plan must end before February 10 when board exams are scheduled to start.

The BJP's West Bengal unit had approached the apex court seeking permission to take out the rally, which would cover 42 parliamentary constituencies in the state ahead of general elections to be held this year. In its plea, the BJP had said that their fundamental right to hold a peaceful yatra cannot be withheld.

The party had planned to launch the yatra from three districts of the state.

The high court's division bench had sent the case back to a single-judge bench to hear it afresh and also to consider the intelligence inputs by state agencies.

The order of the division bench had come after hearing an appeal moved by the West Bengal government challenging the order of the single-judge bench.

The rallies, according to the original schedule, were supposed to be flagged off by BJP president Amit Shah from Bengal's Cooch Behar district on December 7, Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas on December 9, and from Tarapith temple in Birbhum on December 14.

In the plea filed in the top court, the BJP's West Bengal unit has contended that authorities cannot abridge their right and they have a duty to facilitate them in exercising their democratic right.