CHENNAI: After three days of hearings, the Madras High Court on October 16, Friday permitted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to conduct Path Sanchalan at 128 locations across Tamil Nadu on October 25 and November 1.
The Tamil Nadu Police, which had earlier expressed willingness to permit the marches at only 58 locations, informed the court through Advocate General Vijay Narayan that the State was agreeable to the two proposed dates, subject to modifications suggested by local police authorities.
Justice V. Lakshminarayanan directed the police to coordinate with the organisers and finalise the timings, routes and venues for the subsequent public meetings by October 19, Monday. The judge, however, was not pleased with the police repeatedly refusing permission on grounds that had already been rejected in earlier proceedings.
“They have not come up with any novel reasons for rejection. They have consistently given the very reasons which this court found as lame” Justice Lakshminarayanan remarked, referring to the objections raised by the police.
The RSS had submitted its application on October 3 seeking permission for the annual Vijayadashami processions. The police had refused permission at several locations, citing mosques, churches, statues of rationalist leaders, traffic congestion and possible law-and-order problems.
The court noted that similar objections had been examined in earlier litigation dating back to 2022. It also referred to the 2023 ruling recognising public roads as secular spaces accessible to all citizens, irrespective of religion, caste or creed.
During Friday’s hearing, the RSS furnished particulars of the proposed processions, including routes, expected number of participants, organisers and venues for public meetings. The court directed that these details be annexed to its order to prevent further disputes.
The organisation also undertook to comply with the conditions imposed in earlier judicial proceedings. Justice Lakshminarayanan advised the police to approach applications with an intention to grant permission rather than look for reasons to reject them. The RSS was also asked to submit its applications sufficiently in advance in future.
