The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the Madras High Court order allowing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to hold marches in the state and dismissed the appeals of the Tamil Nadu government, reported Live Law.
The apex court also junked a separate plea filed by the government challenging the Madras High Court order from September last year wherein it had allowed the organisation to hold processions.
A bench of Justices V Ramasubramanian and Pankaj Mithal said, “All special leave petitions are dismissed”.
The bench heard the parties on three occasions and reserved its judgment on March 27 against the February 10 order of the Madras High Court allowing the RSS to hold marches in the state.
On March 3, the state government had told the apex court that it was not opposed to the RSS’ route marches and public meetings across the state, but cited intelligence reports to say it can’t be conducted in all streets or localities.
A division bench of the Madras High Court on February 10 restored the September 22, 2022 order which directed the Tamil Nadu Police to consider the RSS’ representation and grant permission to conduct the programmes without conditions, setting aside the order passed on November 4, 2022 by a single judge bench of the high court which had imposed conditions on the proposed state-wide route marches asking the RSS to hold the events indoor or in an enclosed space.
The court had also directed the RSS to ensure strict discipline and make sure there is no provocation or incitement on their part during the marches.