Calcutta High Court Imposes Restriction On Timings Of Processions For Martyrs' Day On July 21 To Aid Office-Goers

The Calcutta High Court has directed the Kolkata police to ensure that the processions slated to take place for the commemoration of Martyr's Day in Bengal on 21st July, do not cause any traffic congestions for the office-going public.

Justice Tirthankar Ghosh restricted the movement of processions during office hours and held: "I direct that all human processions, which are entering the jurisdiction of the Kolkata police, would be allowed till 8am on 21st July. An hour would be granted for settling. From 9am-11am, the police must ensure that there is no congestion to the routes leading to the HC and offices in central Kolkata."

The Martyrs' Day rally is held every year by the Trinamool Congress in commemoration of a 1993 police firing at protestors from the Congress and Trinamool Congress party, which led to the deaths of 13 people.

Advocate General representing the state submitted that such disruptions were common for any protest or VVIP visits, and that measures would be taken to minimise them. It was argued that this rally had been taking place for many years, and the petitioners, claiming to espouse the cause of lawyers, were taking a political stance in court.

Petitioners claimed that police permission had been refused to hold gatherings at the very venue where Martyr's Day was being held, for even 200 people, and that on 21st July the gathering would purportedly be close to 10 lakh people, leading to a disruption in the movement of people.

Counsel for the respondents also questioned the locus of the petitioners, claiming that they were affiliated with a political party under whose rule the 1993 shootings took place.

However, in calling for affidavits in the matter, the court decided to impose a restriction on the timings of the procession to aid those who intended to go to work on that day.