Madras High Court orders TN police to grant permission for RSS route march

The Madras High Court Tuesday directed the Tamil Nadu (TN) police to permit the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to conduct a route march across Tamil Nadu on October 6 this year.

Justice G Jayachandran also directed the police to follow the guidelines laid out in its previous order passed last year regarding grant of permission for public marches and gatherings

The route march that is scheduled to take place at over 50 locations across TN.

“This Court is hoping police will follow court’s guidelines in its January 5 order. And not trouble the court each time inventing new, fanciful, ideas. These are sensitive issues and the police is bound to provide protection both to the organisers and the public. They (RSS) were forced to come to this court only because you did not pass an order on their representation. Once they came to the Court, you passed and order rejecting 42 proposals. You can't avoid these things simply by not passing any orders,” the High Court said.

The Court was hearing a batch of petitions filed by RSS functionaries from Tirupur and Dindigul districts in Tamil Nadu, challenging the orders of the local police rejecting their representations seeking permission to conduct the route march.

The counsel for the State told the Court on Tuesday that permission for the march at some locations had been rejected keeping in mind possible traffic and general law and order concerns.

However, the Court reminded the State that it had already clarified in its previous order that permission for such public events cannot be denied merely on apprehension of obstruction to traffic or the presence of religious institutions along such routes.