The Madras High Court on Thursday granted its conditional nod to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to take out processions at 51 places across Tamil Nadu on October 2, reported PTI.
Directing the State Home Secretary, DGP and other top police officers in the districts to grant the permission before September 28, Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan, said that the permissions should be granted only after obtaining the procession routes and imposing stringent conditions to maintain law and order.
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The RSS had moved court after its request for police permission to the local authorities received no response. The court’s order came while it was disposing of a batch of petitions from the leaders of RSS.
According to advocate Rabu Manohar, who represented the Sivakasi unit of the RSS, the cadre will wear their uniform and they will be led by a musical band and conduct public meetings thereafter.
The processions have been planned to commemorate the RSS founding day along with celebrating the 75th year of Independence and the centenary of Dr B R Ambedkar. The rallies will be conducted peacefully without creating any law and order problem, senior counsels representing the petitioners have said.
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The counsels also alleged that authorities in Tamil Nadu were forcing them to obtain permission from the court every year, despite RSS not being a banned organisation.
The counsels have argued on behalf of the organisers that the state can impose restrictions or conditions but cannot completely ban the conduct of such rallies and submitted that the RSS will abide by any reasonable restrictions imposed by the government or the police.
Public Prosecutor Hasan Mohammed Jinnah, representing the state government, expressed fear that the rallies might trigger violence as there were places of other religious worship enroute the procession. The counsel for the state further submitted that permission may be granted for the processions if they agree not to raise slogans disgracing other religions, carry any weapons or indulge in any violent activities.