TN govt denies permission for RSS march on Oct 2, Sangh moves HC

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday denied permission to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to take out its route march on October 2 in the state and also declined nod for a counter agitation planned by the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) on the same day.

The saffron organisation moved the Madras High Court with a contempt plea against senior state government officials, including the Home Secretary, a day after it served a legal notice to them on the matter.

The state government, citing law and order issues due to protests by certain groups in the event of the RSS taking out a route march on Gandhi Jayanti (Oct 2), refused permission.

The government had conveyed to it not to proceed with its plan, a senior RSS leader said.

"Our's is a peaceful march and the Madras High Court has already granted permission. We will approach the issue legally," he told PTI.

The government has also denied permission to VCK, CPI and CPI(M), all allies of the ruling DMK, to hold a human chain protest on October 2.

The RSS later filed a contempt application in the Madras High Court, seeking to punish Tamil Nadu Home Secretary Phanindra Reddy and Director General of Police C Sylendra Babu for not implementing the court's September 22 order, which directed them to permit the local units of the RSS to take out a 'route march' and later hold a public meeting on Sunday.

The application will come up before Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan tomorrow.

The judge granted permission to RSS advocate B Rabu Manohar to file the contempt petition when the latter made a mention to this effect. If it is numbered and other formalities completed, he will hear it tomorrow, the judge added.

Accordingly, Manohar filed the petition later in the day. It sought to punish Reddy, DGP Sylendra Babu and Tiruvallur district SP Pakerla Cephas Kalyan for having committed contempt of the September 22 order passed on the writ petition filed by R Karthikeyan of Kakkaloor, joint secretary of the Tiruvallur RSS unit.

According to the petitioner, by the common order passed on September 22 on a batch of writ petitions, Justice Ilanthiraiyan had directed the three authorities to grant permission, on or before September 28, to carry out the processions and to hold public meetings on October 2 at places mentioned in the representations based on the conditions laid down by the judge. However, in gross violation of this order, the authorities passed the rejection order on September 28.

The interim prayer is to permit the RSS to take out the route marches and hold public meetings on October 2.

Manohar had earlier issued a legal notice to Reddy, Babu, Kalyan and a local inspector of police, asking why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for disobeying the court order.

Meanwhile, a petition by VCK leader and Lok Sabha MP Thol Thirumavalan seeking a recall of the High Court's September 22 order allowing RSS events is likely to come up for hearing on Friday.