A petition was today admitted in the Allahabad High Court which alleges that Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and his senior party colleague and Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Azam Khan have warned District Magistrates across the state of "dire consequences" if they allowed rallies by AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi.
A division bench, comprising Justice Dilip Gupta and Justice V K Mishra fixed May 27 when hearing on the petition filed by AIMIM's Allahabad convenor Afsar Mahmood will start.
According to Mahmood's counsel Rizwan Qureishi the "hearing could not commence today due to paucity of time. The court will now hear on Wednesday next our petition wherein we have sought to implead Yadav and Khan as parties and whereby we have sought directions to the DM for allowing Owaisi's proposed rally on June 07."
The petitioner has also urged the Court to direct Yadav and Khan to appear "in person to explain to this Hon'ble Court as to how and why they are threatening District Magistrates" across the state with dire consequences if they gave permission to Owaisi for holding a rally in any part of UP?"
The petitioner has claimed that the then District Magistrate of Allahabad, whom he met on April 18 to seek permission for a rally on April 26, had told him about the verbal instructions from the two leaders.
The petitioner has further alleged that the IAS officer's confession was leaked to leaders of ruling Samajwadi Party, as a result of which he was removed from his post and "shunted" to the excise department.
In the recent past, permission had been refused twice by the district administration for rallies to be addressed by Owaisi - first in March and again in April.
