calcutta-hc-denies-bjp-hanuman-jayanti-procession-request

The Calcutta High Court on Friday denied permission to hold a Hanuman Jayanti procession on Kolkata’s iconic Red Road, citing traffic concerns. The decision, delivered by Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, has sparked political and legal debate in the state's political circle.

 

The matter reached the court after Sudip Kumar Ram filed a petition last week seeking permission to organise a Hanuman Jayanti celebration on April 12, with a proposed procession on Red Road from 1 PM to 5 PM.

 

However, the petition was dismissed on Friday by the single bench, which accepted the Kolkata Police’s argument that such a procession could cause significant traffic congestion in the heart of the city.

 

The Bharatiya Janata Party moved the division bench of the court challenging the single Bench’s order. The division bench, too, turned down the plea upholding the single bench’s order.

 

The BJP has raised objections, arguing that Red Road regularly hosts religious and public programmes throughout the year and questioned why a three-hour procession for Hanuman Jayanti could not be permitted. They pointed out that Eid prayers and the state-organized carnival are allowed in the same location annually.

 

Justice Ghosh, in his ruling, maintained that tradition and historical precedent mattered in this case. “Eid prayers have been held there for over 100 years, dating back to the Khilafat Movement,” he said, adding that Hanuman Jayanti processions had no such historical precedent on Red Road.

 

The court observed that allowing the procession simply because other events are permitted there is not a valid legal argument. “Show us the history,” Justice Ghosh remarked in court.

 

This legal tussle comes in the backdrop of the BJP’s broader push for high-visibility religious events in West Bengal. A few days ago, opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari announced plans to organise Hanuman Jayanti processions across the state, following the pattern of Ram Navami celebrations. Preparations had already begun for the Red Road event when the court ruling brought them into question.

 

This is not the first time the issue of religious processions has landed in the courtroom. During Ram Navami, the BJP had similarly approached the High Court after police allegedly denied permission for a twin-procession in Howrah. That case, too, was heard by Justice Ghosh, who eventually allowed the processions to take place under certain conditions.