BJP's 'Rath Yatras' in Bengal: SC asks party to seek fresh nod from state govt

The proposed "Rath Yatras" of the BJP in West Bengal were put on hold on Tuesday by the Supreme Court, which asked the party to seek a fresh approval from the Mamata Banerjee government in the state by submitting a revised proposal.

The apex court, however, allowed the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to continue with its proposed public rallies and meetings under its "Ganatantra Bachao Yatra".

As regards the non-grant of sanctions by the authorities for taking out the statewide "Rath Yatras" (chariot marches), a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said, "Looking into the details of the proposed Rath Yatras and the order of the state government dated January 14, 2019, we cannot say that the apprehensions expressed by the state government are totally unfounded.

"It is for the state government to maintain law and order in the state and the apprehensions expressed in the order will have to be addressed by the petitioner in a reasonable manner."