Madras HC Grants Permission To RSS To Conduct Route Marches In 51 Places In State

The Madras High Court today granted permission to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to conduct route marches at 51 places throughout Tamil Nadu on October 2, subject to certain conditions.

RSS conducts route marches on or around Vijaya Dashami day, every year. 

Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan, who granted the permission, directed the State Home Secretary, DGP and other top police officers in the districts to grant the permission before September 28, after obtaining the procession routes from the organisers and imposing stringent conditions to maintain law and order.

The judge, who was disposing of a batch of petitions from the leaders of RSS in the city and other districts, said he will pass a detailed order later.

According to Advocate Rabu Manohar, who represented the Sivakasi unit of the RSS, the organiser applied for police permission. The cadres will wear their uniform and they will be led by a musical band and conduct public meetings thereafter. Though the local police authority was approached for permission, there was no response till date.

The senior counsels representing other petitioners, submitted the authorities in Tamil Nadu alone were forcing them to obtain permission from the court, every year. RSS was not a banned organisation.

The procession was to commemorate the founding day of the RSS, to celebrate 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 problems.

The State can not completely ban conduct of any such rallies, it can only impose restrictions or conditions. The government/police can impose any reasonable conditions, which the RSS will comply with, they added and prayed the court to frame guidelines to avoid approaching the court again and again in the future.

State Public Prosecutor Hasan Mohammed Jinnah expressed fear the rallies might trigger violence as there were places of other religious worship enroute the procession. The organisers are yet to submit the procession routes. They should not shout slogans disgracing other religions, carry any weapon and indulge in any violent activities. If they comply with all these stipulations, permission may be granted, subject to imposition of certain more conditions, he added.

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With PTI inputs