Calcutta HC accepts BJP's appeal to hold Rath Yatra
The Calcutta High Court division bench on Friday accepted the appeal for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Rath Yatra after the party had moved an appeal before a division bench of the high court against refusal of permission. The single bench order had on Thursday denied permission to the saffron party for holding the Rath Yatra.
Granting leave to the BJP to file the appeal, a division bench comprising Justices B Somadder and A Mukherjee said it will hear the matter at 12.30 pm.
The bench directed BJP's lawyers to serve copy of the appeal to the West Bengal government and other respondents before the matter is taken up for hearing.
A single bench of the high court on Thursday had said it cannot grant permission at this stage for the BJP rally in Coochbehar, scheduled to be flagged off by party president Amit Shah on Friday.
The West Bengal government had refused to allow the event over the possibility of communal tension.
The court directed that superintendents of police of all districts in West Bengal will file a report by December 21 to it on the holding of 'rath yatra' rallies by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), after hearing all district presidents of the party.
Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty had deferred the hearing till January 9, 2019 and had observed the BJP’s appeal for permission to hold the Rath Yatra cannot be granted at this stage.
