
Refrain from holding pol events over next wk: HC
Kolkata: The
Calcutta High Court
on Thursday urged all political forums to refrain from holding any programme over the next week, "keeping the country's current situation in mind".
The HC observations came after the Centre on Thursday told it that due to
Army training
on a 'war-footing basis' at Brigade Parade Ground, they could not allow All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) to stage an
anti-Waqf demonstration
there on Saturday (April 26). The
AIMPLB
had moved the HC after their application was "not granted" by the Army commanding officer without specifying any reason.
Justice Tirthankar Ghosh dismissed the Army's order on April 21 and directed them to cite a "reasoned communication" to the board "in respect of the reservations, if any, of the Army to grant permission for the meeting at Brigade Parade Ground... preferably within 24 hours". The judge asked the Board to apply afresh for permission on May 3 and the Army to reply.
Asked the reason for not granting permission, the additional-solicitor general (ASG), Ashoke Kumar Chakraborty, spoke about rioting in Murshidabad. "This (anti-Waqf protests) necessitated riots in Murshidabad and Malda. The other (Calcutta HC) division bench permitted the deployment of paramilitary forces without the state permission." he said. Asked for the reason for not granting the permission, the ASG admitted, "There is no reason, it's a simple rejection, based on the given situation and circumstance."

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