The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday granted conditional permission for a protest rally to be led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata over various issues, including the recent death of a minor girl in Baruipur, South 24 Parganas district, in an alleged rape and murder case. The court’s decision came after Banerjee approached it following the denial of permission by police authorities for the rally.
The matter was heard by a single-judge bench of Justice Sougata Bhattacharya after Banerjee sought an urgent hearing earlier in the day. After considering the arguments, the court allowed the rally but imposed several restrictions to ensure public safety and maintain traffic movement in the city.
According to the court order, the rally route will be limited to the stretch between Ballygunge Phari crossing and Hazra Crossing in South Kolkata. The protest will be permitted for only two hours, from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm. The court also directed that the rally should proceed through only one lane of the road, while the other lane must remain open for regular vehicular movement.
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The court further capped the number of participants at 1,000 people. The conditions were issued to balance the right to peaceful protest with the need to avoid disruption to public life. The rally is expected to highlight concerns over the Baruipur incident and other issues raised by Banerjee and her party.
The former Chief Minister had already launched a candlelight protest march from her residence in Kalighat on Monday in response to the Baruipur incident. The procession faced restrictions after Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel stopped the march near her residence. Banerjee and her supporters later moved towards Harish Chatterjee Street after crossing barricades.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leaders have continued to raise the issue politically. On Monday, party Rajya Sabha member Dola Sen, Lok Sabha member Pratima Mandal and former West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee visited Baruipur on behalf of the section of the party’s legislative group that remains aligned with Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
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