Calcutta HC restricts TMC’s July 21 mega-rally; No movement from 9 to 11 AM

The Calcutta High Court has imposed strict time restrictions on the processions planned for Trinamool Congress’s annual Martyrs’ Day rally on July 21, to ensure smooth traffic movement during office hours. The order was passed by Justice Tirthankar Ghosh on Friday. The court directed that all human processions entering Kolkata Police jurisdiction must do so by 8 am, and an hour would be given for settling. From 9 am to 11 am, the Kolkata Police must ensure that there is no traffic congestion on roads leading to the High Court and other offices in central Kolkata.

This is the first time that the court has imposed a specific time limit on Trinamool’s Martyrs’ Day rally. The court also ordered that processions may resume after 11 am, once the crucial morning office hours are over. Kolkata Police Commissioner has been directed to ensure that there is no traffic blockage within a 5-kilometre radius of the High Court during the restricted hours. The court said these directions were aimed at protecting the movement of office-goers.

The Martyrs’ Day rally is held every year by the Trinamool Congress to commemorate the July 21, 1993, police firing in Kolkata, in which 13 people were killed during a protest by Congress and Trinamool workers. The state’s Advocate General submitted that such disruptions are common during protests or VVIP visits, and assured that necessary steps would be taken to minimise traffic issues.

The petitioners argued that police have often denied permission for even small gatherings of 200 people at the same venue, yet on July 21, a gathering of nearly 10 lakh is expected. They expressed concern about potential disruption to the general public. The respondents questioned the petitioners’ locus standi, claiming political affiliation with the party in power during the 1993 incident.

The court took note of the submissions and called for affidavits in the matter. Meanwhile, it decided to impose the time restriction on the movement of processions to prevent disruption to daily activities in central Kolkata during working hours.