Calcutta High Court Allows Ram Navami Procession In Howrah, Asks State To Requisition Central Forces If It Can't Manage Crowd

The Calcutta High Court has allowed a plea by the Anjani Putra Sena to carry out its annual Ram Navami Yatra (procession) in Howrah on 17th April (Wednesday).

A single bench of Justice Jay Sengupta allowed the procession whilst adding that there should not be any sloganeering, or hate speech and capped the number of attendees to 200. 

The Court further clarified that the State is expected to have the resources available to manage a gathering of 200 people and that in case it was facing difficulties in doing the same, it was free to requisition central forces in writing, by giving 24 hours' notice.

It was further clarified that in case the number of people in the gathering exceeded 200, the responsibility for the same would lie with the organisers. 

Notably, there was widespread violence in last year's yatra along the same route, which led to the High Court transferring the probe into the same to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

State argued that the investigation into the violence was ongoing and that the NIA had already arrested multiple people who were suspected of having caused the violence. Accordingly, it had suggested an alternate route for the yatra, which was rejected by the organisation.

Accordingly, the Court allowed the rally to go ahead along its originally planned route with the aforesaid restrictions. 

A detailed order is awaited.

Case: ANJANI PUTRA SENA v STATE OF WEST BENGAL AND ORS

Case No: WPA/10467/2024