HC declines to grant blanket ban on caste, religious rallies

Madras High Court today declined to grant a blanket ban on caste, religious and communal-based organisations to take out rallies, processions and holding public meetings in Tamil Nadu.
Disposing of a batch of PILs praying for the blanket ban, the first bench comprising Chief Justice Rajesh Kumar Agrawal and Justice M Sathyanarayanan said the law declared by the Supreme Court have to be taken note of by the state government and it should act accordingly.
Organisers of rallies and public meetings should have the responsibility and since they claimed that they are the leaders, they should have control over the cadres and in the event of any breach of law and order, which may have serious consequences, they may be held responsible, the Supreme Court had earlier observed.

An earlier judgment of Madras High Court had given guidelines and most of them had been followed by the State government in respect of observance of the memorial days of Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar and Dalit leader Immanuel Sekaran.
The government has to act within the parameter of the statute, rules and regulations. "This court cannot frame any specific guidelines as maintenance of law and order is with the state government and the machinery concerned have to act keeping in mind the situation and other relevant factors and more particularly the public interest," the judges said and disposed of the PILs seeking to ban caste, religious and communal based organisations to celebrate 'guru poojas' and observe 'memorial days'.