The Supreme Court was hearing a plea by the Tamil Nadu government challenging a Madras High Court order permitting the RSS to carry out its route march in Tamil Nadu on rescheduled dates.
On February 10, a division bench of the High Court had lifted previous restrictions on the route march and directed the Tamil Nadu police to allow the RSS to conduct the same. In its order, the Court had emphasised the importance of protests in a healthy democracy.
The RSS had, in October 2022, sought the Tamil Nadu government’s permission to carry out its march in the State to mark ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and Gandhi Jayanti.
However, the government had refused, which led to the RSS moving a plea before the Madras High Court for relief.
On November 4 that year, a single-judge of the High Court gave the RSS permission to conduct the march subject to certain conditions.
The RSS challenged the November 4 order, which among other things, had directed the RSS to conduct its route march in an enclosed space or indoors.
A division bench of Justices R Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq on February 10 this year set aside the single-judge order and restored an earlier order from September 22, 2022, which had directed the police to consider the RSS’ representation and to grant them permission for the march.
The High Court in its February 10 order, also directed the RSS to give to the Tamil Nadu police any three dates of its choice to hold the route march in the State, adding that the police must grant permission for the march on any one of those three dates.
The Court also ordered the RSS to follow strict discipline during the event, cautioning that they must not resort to any provocation. The State government was directed to make necessary security and traffic arrangements for the march as well.
Source: Barandbench
