Calcutta HC rejects Bengal govt’s plea for ban on march to Secretariat

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday rejected a West Bengal government plea seeking a ban on the proposed march to the Secretariat to protest against the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital rape and murder case.

The ‘Nabanna Avijan’ call for the march on August 27 has been given on social media by students who have invited everyone to join but without any political banner.

This is similar to the call given by women for a midnight march on Independence Day.

However, the West Bengal government approached the Calcutta High Court and after a detailed hearing on Friday afternoon the Division Bench of Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Bhattacharyya refused to entertain the state’s plea seeking a ban on the march.

The state government’s argument was that since there was a possibility of political parties participating in the march, tension and law and order trouble could not be ruled out.

Refusing to entertain the argument of the state government, the Bench clearly said that at this point of time the court would not intervene in the matter.

Legal circles say that the Calcutta High Court’s decision is in line with the observation of the Supreme Court, where it directed the West Bengal Police not to disrupt peaceful protests over the rape and murder.

In fact, during the hearing on the rape and murder case on Thursday, the state government’s counsel raised the issues of this proposed march on August 27.

The Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud then clearly observed that while the law would take its course, peaceful protests cannot be stopped forcefully.

To recall, when scores of people led by women took to the streets of Kolkata following the call of ‘Meyera, Rat Dakhal Karo (girls, reclaim the night)’ demanding justice for the junior doctor on the midnight of Independence Day, there was massive vandalism at the emergency department of RG Kar by outsiders, which led the entire attention being shifted from the march to the ransacking.

At that time there were accusations that the ransacking was done deliberately to divert attention from the protest.