Kolkata, Sep 10 The Calcutta High Court allowed a public meeting by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Hooghly's Sreerampur on Friday, instead of a procession along GT Road, pointing out concerns about traffic disruption and past violations of court directions.
Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya on Thursday permitted the meeting at Mahesh Jagannath Dev Snanpiri Maidan between 1 pm and 3 pm, with up to 2,000 participants.
The court directed that no inflammatory statements that could lead to communal tensions be made during the meeting and asked the police to deploy adequate personnel to prevent any untoward incident.
The order came on a petition filed by former Trinamool Congress MLA Asit Majumdar, challenging the police's refusal to grant permission for a procession through the GT Road, which Banerjee was scheduled to lead.
The petitioner had proposed holding the procession from 2 pm to 5 pm, with an expected participation of around 5,000 people.
Opposing it, the state government said GT Road is narrow and must remain accessible, as hospitals, schools, and a fire station are located nearby. It also claimed that the area is communally sensitive.
Petitioner's advocate Sirsanyo Bandopadhyay argued that political parties regularly hold rallies along the GT Road, but objections are raised only when Banerjee seeks to organise a programme.
He also pointed out that a rally attended by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday had choked Raja SC Mullick Road in Jadavpur in south Kolkata.
Senior advocate Kalyan Bandopadhyay, also appearing for the petitioner, suggested holding a meeting at Mahesh Jagannath Dev Snanpiri Maidan as an alternative to the procession.
The state's lawyer, meanwhile, suggested that the procession could be held through Delhi Road at the proposed time.
The court took note of the inconvenience that a rally on the narrow GT Road on a working day could cause to residents and accepted the petitioner's suggestion of holding a meeting instead.
Justice Bhattacharyya also referred to two earlier occasions when directions issued by the court regarding political programmes of Banerjee in Kolkata were allegedly not followed.
The court had directed that one lane of Cathedral Road in south Kolkata be kept open while meetings were held on the other side on July 21 and August 28.
Justice Bhattacharyya noted that, according to reports submitted by the authorities, the restrictions were not followed on those occasions, with both flanks allegedly being occupied and the movement of vehicles and pedestrians affected.
Kalyan Bandopadhyay, who is also a TMC MP, said limiting the number of participants would be difficult as Banerjee is "the most charismatic leader in West Bengal".
The judge said that since the petitioner had approached the court, a balance had to be struck between preserving the petitioner's democratic right and ensuring that police authorities do not face difficulties in managing the situation on the day of the programme.
