Calcutta High Court advises Bengal government to fix guidelines for demonstration sites

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday suggested that the West Bengal government should come out with specific guidelines on the places in the state where protest demonstrations by any party can be organised.

According to the single-judge bench of Justice Trithankar Ghosh, the state government should issue a notification identifying the places in the state where such protest demonstrations can be organised and where they cannot and also at the same time, come out with specific guidelines in the matter.

Justice Ghosh made this observation while hearing a petition of a job-seekers group titled "Group-D Unity Forum", to stage a three-day protest demonstration at the bus depot near the state Secretariat 'Nabanna' at Mandirtala in Kolkata's adjacent Howrah district in support of their demand for jobs from November 11 to November 13.

Being denied police permission for security reasons, the said group approached the Calcutta High Court for permission.

On Friday, Justice Ghosh permitted that protest demonstration, but after setting some conditions for the same.

The first condition was that the protest demonstration could be conducted for two days on November 11 and November 12. It has also been decided that at the end of the demonstration, a five-member delegation of the group will submit a memorandum to Chief Secretary Manoj Pant.

Justice Ghosh also observed that since the protest demonstration was being carried out by a group which does not have any affiliation with any political party, the police had no right to create hurdles.

Although the state government counsel argued that the said demonstration at the bus stand had been denied permission on security grounds and the same could be organised at an alternative location, Justice Ghosh refused to accept that argument.

Thereafter, the single-judge bench directed the state government to come out with specific guidelines on this issue.