Kolkata: Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in Kolkata High Court to stop the ‘Rathyatra’ of BJP in West Bengal. The Calcutta High Court seeking directions to stop it citing concerns over law and order.
A petitioner Rama Prasad Sarkar, a lawyer by profession, said that “I beg to pray before the Chief Justice to look into the matter. There is Covid-19 still going, law and order situation. So the Court should immediately stop the Yatra at this stage.”
BJP has announced that it will start its ‘Yatra’ on February 6 and continue for 25 days. The saffron party has decided to carry out a peaceful political programme throughout West Bengal in the form of ‘Rath Yatra’
The saffron party plans to take out five rallies criss-crossing West Bengal from this month.
Sarkar further stated that the matter is likely to come up before the high court on Friday. “Matter will be heard on Friday at 10:30 am but I beg to pray that rath yatra should be immediately stopped.”
West Bengal Chief Secretary’s office has asked BJP to approach local authorities for getting permission for Rath Yatras.
The BJP had on February 1 written to the state chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay about its ‘Rath Yatra’ programme so that the administration “may prepare modalities of relevant support system for a peaceful conduct of the programme.”
Earlier in December 2019, the court had denied permission to the BJP for a ‘rath yatra’ that was to commence from Coochbehar in north Bengal.
The Assembly Elections for 294 seats are scheduled to take place this year in West Bengal. However, the dates of the polls have not yet been announced by the Election Commission.
_Vinayak