Kolkata, Aug 25 Disallowing prayers of two factions of the TMC's students' organisations for holding their respective foundation day programmes on August 28 at Mayo Road here, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday allowed them to organise these at the same venues as their July 21 martyrs' day events.
Imposing identical conditions on each of the factions, one led by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee and the other by MLA and Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, the court verbally said it would have allowed 10,000 participants at Brigade Parade Grounds had it been organised jointly.
Both the factions prayed for permission for organising their respective foundation day programmes at the same venue on Mayo Road on the same day and time.
The court said it will not allow either of the two factions to hold the foundation day programme on Mayo Road near the Gandhi statue on August 28.
Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya directed the Mamata Banerjee-led faction to hold the programme on one flank of Cathedral Road on August 28.
It directed that the Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction's students' wing will be allowed to hold the programme at one flank of Rani Rashmoni Avenue.
These south Kolkata venues were allowed to the two factions by this court for their respective July 21 martyrs' day programmes after the police had refused permission for holding it in front of Victoria House in Esplanade.
Imposing the same set of conditions for both factions for holding the programme, Justice Bhattacharyya directed that efforts be made by each of them to keep attendance within 1,500.
The court directed the police to ensure law and order and that no untoward incident takes place.
The court directed that the programmes be held from noon to 3 pm, and asked them to provide names and phone numbers of 15 volunteers each, who would be responsible for smooth organisation of the programmes.
Police authorities were directed to ensure that vehicular movement was not affected along one flank of the two roads.
The Mamata Banerjee faction's student wing's lawyer Sirsanya Bandopadhyay stated before the court that the Trinamool Chatra Parishad (TMCP) has been holding the foundation day programme on August 28 at Mayo Road for 26 of the last 28 years.
He stated that an application was made on July 27, with two reminders thereafter, to the Kolkata Police authorities seeking permission to hold the programme at the same venue.
Stating that the applicant could not go to the police authorities on August 18 over the application for a meeting, he submitted that they were then sent an email by the police asking them to hold the programme in an indoor facility and not in an open place as was done earlier.
Bandopadhyay claimed that this restriction is unreasonable and that it curtails their rights.
The other TMCP's faction's prayer for holding the foundation programme on Mayo Road was also refused by the police, and they were asked to hold it in an indoor facility, challenging which they also moved this court.
Justice Bhattacharyya verbally said if the two factions are agreeable to organising the programme jointly, the court will permit them to hold it on Mayo Road in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue.
Bandopadhyay said his client is not agreeable to do so, while the Ritabrata Banerjee-led party's student wing faction's lawyer stated that he will take instruction from his client on the suggestion of the court.
