Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) on Wednesday turned down the plea challenging Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah’s 15 February rally to be held in Jind of Haryana.
A Division Bench of the HC disposed of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a non-government organisation (NGO) Arrive Safe Society, refusing to pass any direction against the rally saying that the event is neither a protest nor a demonstration but a political rally.
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The NGO through its president Harman Singh Sidhu moved the HC challenging the rally with regard to law and order situation. Following which the HC issued notice of motion to Centre, Haryana government as the BJP through its Haryana president Subhash Barala.
However, the Centre as well as the state government in their responses said that necessary permissions have been taken from the administration for the said rally and there was no violation of rules.
Haryana Advocate General (AG) BR Mahajan said that as it’s a political rally to held after taking all required permissions, the HC refused to pass any direction against it.
The HC said that no direction of any kind can be issued in such matters. Moreover, there is no notification regarding any election in the state so the said rally has no concern with any election matter and it could not be termed any violation of Election Commission, Mahajan said.
Riding motorbikes, more than One Lakh BJP workers to throng Jind on 15 February where the party president Amit Shah to address the ‘Yuva Hunkar Rally’.
The PIL was filed in HC seeking protection to the life, liberty and property of the public in Haryana in view of Shah’s rally involving One Lakh motorcycles.
The petitioner submitted that BJP chief is supposed to kick off party’s 2019 Lok Sabha campaign through this rally, which itself is in violation of guidelines issued by Election Commission of India, which were appended as.
It is a trite fact that the supporters of political parties violate traffic rules (ride two wheelers without helmet, drive in wrong directions, jump red lights, triple riding etc) block traffic and indulge in hooliganism.
