The Bombay High Court on Friday overruled an earlier Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) order denying permission to hold Dusshera rally in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park ground, citing concerns over maintaining law and order. Earlier, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction had moved Bombay HC challenging the BMC order.
Giving a green signal to the Dusshera rally, the Bombay High Court ordered, “In our view BMC’s order rejecting the application citing law and order is a clear abuse of process of the law. It is not the corporation’s case that in the last 7 decades there was a law and order situation.”
Directing the Thackeray Sena to maintain law and order, Bombay HC permitted the used of ground for the rally from October 2 to October 6.
Also Read| Uddhav-led Sena defiant, go ahead with Dussehra rally despite BMC denial
Earlier, a huge row broke out between both the Shinde and Thackeray factions over the Mumbai civic body’s decision to deny permission for the rally. Former mayor of Mumbai Kishori Pednekar, the spokesperson of the Thackeray unit, blamed the BJP for trying to undermine the party. “The rally has been taking place at the Shivaji Park for 56 years. It could not happen for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They want to corner Uddhav ji and the Shiv Sena. They have got more strength due to some traitors who betrayed us,” Pednekar told news agency PTI.
Also read| BMC denies nod to Thackeray and Shinde factions of Shiv Sena for Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park
Sena leaders, close to Thackeray, even warned that they will go ahead with the rally, ignoring the BMC’s diktat. Leader of the Thackeray-led faction in the Maharashtra Assembly Ajay Choudhary claimed that they will use “guerrilla warfare tactics” to go ahead with the rally.
