Big setback to BJP in West Bengal; Calcutta High Court division bench halts party’s rath yatra

Kolkata: In a setback to the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Friday ruled in favour of the state government, which had challenged the order of a single bench allowing the saffron party to hold its 'Rath Yatra' programme. The division bench comprising the Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar ordered the BJP not to hold any rath yatra as of now. Following the single bench order yesterday allowing the BJP to hold the political programme, the government of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had filed an appeal and asked for an urgent hearing. The Calcutta HC single bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty yesterday permitted the BJP's 'Rath Yatra' programme, overturning the decision of a panel of the state government’s three top officers denying permission to the opposition party for the yatra. Earlier on December 6, a single judge bench of the HC had refused to allow the BJP to hold its 'Rath Yatra' scheduled to be flagged off by BJP president Amit Shah from Cooch Behar in North Bengal on December 7. The BJP had then moved the division bench. On December 7, the division bench directed the state chief secretary, the home secretary and the director general of police to sit with BJP representatives and arrive at a decision on the 'yatra' by December 14. The three officers later, after meeting with BJP representatives, decided not to allow the party to hold rath yatra rallies on December 15 arguing the same could disturb communal peace. The party had then approached the court again challenging the government's denial of permission. Source: Times Now