Holding of public meetings; WB BJP withdraws contempt plea against state govt

West Bengal unit of the BJP Friday withdrew from the Supreme Court its plea alleging that choppers carrying the party's national president Amit Shah and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were not being allowed to land in the state.

State BJP had in February filed a plea seeking contempt action, alleging violation of the apex court's order, against state authorities for denying permission to hold public meetings in West Bengal.

The apex court, on January 15, had allowed public meetings of BJP in the state.

However, it had ordered that as regards the "rath yatras", the Mamta Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government consider afresh the revised proposal of BJP, keeping in mind the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under the Constitution.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna expressed its unwillingness to hear the plea after which the BJP counsel sought permission to withdraw it.

Earlier, the apex court had put on hold the proposed "rath yatras" of the BJP in West Bengal and asked it to seek a fresh approval from the state government by submitting a revised proposal.

It, however, had allowed BJP to continue with its proposed public rallies and meetings under its "Ganatantra Bachao Yatra".

The party has alleged that its fundamental rights have been breached as choppers carrying the BJP president and the UP CM have not been allowed to land in the state and its leaders were not allowed to hold public meetings.

BJP had claimed that earlier too, permission was denied several times at the last moment to "harass the BJP" which later moved the high court and that the party "is facing such political vendetta since 2014 in West Bengal".