Kolkata, 10 September (H.S.): The Calcutta High Court has granted conditional permission for a public meeting of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Mahesh, Serampore, Hooghly district, on Friday, September 11. However, the court has made it clear that no procession will be allowed as part of the programme.

The Kalighat Trinamool Congress unit had planned to organise a protest march from Mahesh to the Serampore Court. Former Chinsurah MLA Asit Majumdar had sought police permission for the procession, but the request was denied over concerns that it could disrupt traffic movement on GT Road. The matter subsequently reached the Calcutta High Court.

After hearing the case, Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya granted conditional permission for the public meeting but refused permission for the proposed procession. According to the court's order, the meeting can be held at the Jagannath Dev Snanpiri Ground in Mahesh from 1 pm to 3 pm.

The court has also restricted attendance at the meeting to a maximum of 2,000 people. It further directed that no provocative remarks capable of hurting the religious sentiments of any community should be made from the stage.

To prevent any untoward incident, the state administration has been directed to deploy an adequate number of police personnel at the venue. The Kalighat Trinamool unit has also been asked to submit a list of its volunteers, along with their names and phone numbers, to the police by 8 pm on Thursday.

Notably, most of Mamata Banerjee's political programmes since the Assembly elections have been held in Kolkata. If she addresses the meeting in Serampore on Friday, it could mark her first major political programme outside Kolkata following the change of government.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey