BJP moves Calcutta HC seeking permission for rath yatra in West Bengal

The BJP moved the Calcutta High Court Wednesday, saying it was yet to be given permission for taking out three rallies in West Bengal, scheduled to begin from December 7.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah is scheduled to kickstart the party's "Save Democracy Rally", comprising three "rath yatra", in the state.

The saffron party claimed before the bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty that several letters sent to the DG-IGP and the home secretary, seeking permission for the three rallies, did not elicit any response.

The BJP campaign is scheduled to begin from Coochbehar district in the north on December 7, from Kakdwip in the South 24 Parganas district on December 9 and from the Tarapith temple in Birbhum district on December 14.

Advovate General Kishore Dutta told the court that the DG-IGP or the home secretary was not the competent authority to grant permission for the rallies, which, as a political party, the petitioner (BJP) should have known.

The petitioner should also have known to whom the application should have been sent, he said.

Following this, the BJP counsel said they had also applied to the SPs of the districts through which the three "rath yatra" were scheduled to pass.

The judge suggested that the state authorities and the petitioner should sit together and sort out the issue before returning to court.

Dutta then told the court that the three rallies entailed huge security arrangements and he would require instructions from the state government if it could be done at such a short notice.

Following this, the court adjourned the matter till 2 pm.