The Madras High Court on Tuesday, October 1 directed the Tamil Nadu police and state government to allow the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to conduct route marches on October 6. The court was hearing petitions by RSS functionaries after the state government denied permission citing lack of details. A single judge bench of Justice G Jayachandran also asked the police why permission had been denied despite the Supreme Court allowing RSS marches to take place last year.
The RSS leaders, in their petition, had sought permission to conduct route marches in 58 localities across the state on October 6 to mark Vijayadashami. They contended that the request was in accordance with the earlier orders of the court. In January, the Madras High Court had issued guidelines to the police and the RSS for permitting and holding route marches respectively.
According to LiveLaw, the court observed that the petitions had to be filed since the police flouted the guidelines and the spirit of the judgment. “This court as well as the Supreme Court in the previous round of litigation observed that the guidelines issued should be followed scrupulously by the police and the organisers and there should not be any need to approach the court in the future,” it said. In January 2023, the Supreme Court had questioned the Tamil Nadu government on the maintainability of its decision not to grant permission for a similar route marches in the state that year.
Justice G Jaychandran also said that police were expected to protect the public as well as the organisers and cannot avoid giving permissions and cannot “invent new and fanciful reasons for rejection”. The court also questioned the state government why it rejected the RSS marches while it had recently permitted DMK’s march to commemorate 75 years of the party.
Police told the court that they had granted permission for a few localities after reconsideration. “Permission was denied in Chennai’s Mangadu, Korrathur, and Rathinapuri in Coimbatore as schools in the area had not agreed to a public event in the vicinity,” the police said. They added that permission was denied in Medavakkam due to metro rail work, in Selaiyur, and in Sayarpuram in Thoothukudi. The petitioners said that they would either produce letters from the schools or suggest an alternative route. The court also asked RSS to give alternative locations for the march in Medavakkam and Tambaram which will not cover metro routes.