The top court today declined to tender urgent hearing on the plea filed by BJP which challenged the Calcutta High Court’s division bench order on Rath Yatras in West Bengal.
The Supreme Court registry informed the lawyer associated with BJP that the matter would be listed in the normal course only. It is likely to be heard in January.
The party’s plan to hold the rallies were obstructed when Mamata Banerjee-led Bengal government repeatedly denied the permission citing that it might cause ‘communal tension’ in the state. The yatra was supposed to crisscross Bengal and cover 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. The rallies were originally slated to be launched by BJP President Amit Shah on December 7.
But on December 6, a single-judge bench of the Calcutta HC refused the party permission to hold the yatra. The BJP then approached the division bench, which asked the state officials to hold a meeting with three representatives of the BJP and take a decision by December 14. The state administration, however, refused permission on December 15, following which the saffron party moved the high court again last week.
The single bench in Calcutta HC permitted BJP to hold the rally and called the state government’s attitude whimsical over the issue.
The high court’s division bench, however, on Friday overruled the single bench verdict and asked it to consider intelligence inputs by state agencies.