Chennai: The Madras High Court has permitted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to organise rallies and meetings at designated locations across Tamil Nadu on October 25 and November 1, while reprimanding the state government over the handling of the organisation’s permission requests.
The court also laid down guidelines for the events, specifying conditions that must be followed during the rallies. It clarified that the police would be free to take appropriate action if the organisers violated the prescribed conditions.
The RSS had sought permission to hold rallies at 128 locations across Tamil Nadu as part of events marking the organisation’s centenary year. According to the petition, the proposed programmes were scheduled for October 25 and November 1.
After the organisation’s requests did not receive the desired response from the police, RSS state secretary Jagadishan approached the Madras High Court.
RSS Cites Restrictions on Rally Applications
During the hearing before Justice Lakshminarayanan, senior counsel representing the petitioner argued that the organisation had sought permission for rallies involving around 400 participants in Chennai and 100 participants in other districts.
The counsel submitted that the police had declined permission, citing different reasons for different locations.
Representing the state government, Advocate General Vijay Narayan told the court that, despite its earlier directions, applications had been submitted for only 93 locations. He said details regarding participant numbers had been provided for 16 locations, while vehicle-related information had been furnished for 38 locations.
The state also raised concerns about traffic congestion, arguing that some of the proposed rally routes passed through areas experiencing heavy traffic.
Court Questions Government’s Approach
After hearing both sides, the judge reportedly observed that refusing permission for the rallies could indirectly give the RSS publicity rather than prevent it.
The court subsequently allowed the organisation to hold rallies and meetings on October 25 and November 1, subject to the prescribed conditions.
The ruling provides conditional permission for the proposed events while leaving the police with the authority to act in the event of any violation of the court’s directions or applicable conditions.
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