Kolkata, 17 September (H.S.): The Calcutta High Court has granted permission to Trinamool Congress chief and former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to hold a public rally at the Serampore Court Ground in the Hooghly district. The court has allowed the Trinamool Congress to organize this event on September 26, albeit with certain strict conditions.

The single bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya directed on Thursday that the event can only be held on September 26 between 4 PM and 6 PM, with a maximum attendance of 1,000 people. The court clarified that no rallies or processions will be allowed on the GT Road, and the organizers along with the administration must ensure that normal traffic on the GT Road remains undisrupted.

Initially, the Trinamool Congress had sought permission for a gathering of 2,000 people, but the state government raised objections. The West Bengal government argued that the Court Ground is relatively small and significant space needs to be left for the security ring since Mamata Banerjee has Z-plus security cover. The government expressed concerns that a gathering of 2,000 people could lead to a stampede-like situation. Countering this, TMC lawyer Kalyan Banerjee argued that a crowd of 50,000 had previously gathered at the same ground for a Shreya Ghoshal concert, dismissing the security rationale. After hearing the arguments from both sides, the court fixed the limit at 1,000 people.

Earlier, the event was scheduled to take place on September 11 at the Snanapindi Ground in Mahesh, Serampore. At that time, a single bench had granted permission for the rally, but the trustee board of the nearby Jagannath Temple challenged the decision before a division bench. The trust maintained that it was their private land and they could not allow a political event there. Following this, the division bench of the Chief Justice postponed the event date and sent the matter back to the single bench. After reconsideration, the court changed the venue and approved the rally at the Serampore Court Ground.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh