RSS to provide dates after Madras HC directs police to allow route marches in TN

Chennai, Feb 11 Tamil Nadu unit of the RSS will soon be providing three suitable dates to conduct route marches in the state after Madras High Court directed the police to allow the organisation to hold the march.

The Madras High court division bench comprising Justices R Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq told the appellants to approach state authorities with three different dates of their choice for holding the route march, and directed the authorities to grant permission for holding the marches on one of these dates.

A senior functionary of the Tamil Nadu unit of the RSS, while speaking to , said, "We will be holding a meeting soon to finalise three dates as necessitated by the Madras High Court regarding the conduct of the route marches. Senior functionaries of the organisation will sit and finalise this and let you know on the dates."

It may be noted that the Tamil Nadu government had not given permission to the RSS route marches to be held during the Vijayadashami day celebrations.

Citing law and order situation, the police had denied permission to the route march. The police stated that after the ban of the Islamist organisation, Popular Front of India (PFI), the route march could cause some communal disturbances affecting law and order situation.

A single bench of the Madras High court had allowed the RSS to conduct the marches but within compound walls and the organisation had filed an appeal against this before the division bench.

The court in its order on Friday (February 10), said, "The state's approach towards citizen's rights can never be adversarial in a welfare state and it must be considered for granting permission for peaceful rallies, protests, meetings or processions so as to maintain a healthy democracy."

The division bench had set aside the single judge bench order of November 4, 2022, restricting the route marches within the compound premises.