The Madras High Court is all set to hold a special sitting today, despite it being a Saturday, to hear an urgent writ petition moved by K. Nagarajan, State general secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeking permission for its Vetri Vel Yatra, a religious tour planned across the State from November 8 to December 6.
Justice M. Sathyanarayanan would be hearing the case filed against a Government Order issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management department on October 31 stating that religious congregations, with a maximum ceiling of 100 participants, would be permitted in the State only from November 16.
In an affidavit, filed through his counsel V. Raghavachari, the petitioner said the State government’s order was in contravention of Union Home Ministry’s September 30 notification which permits religious gatherings, with even more than 100 participants, from October 15 and requires States to lay down Standard Operating Procedures.
The State government was bound to follow the Central guidelines as long as it had not reported that the conditions prevailing here required a different yardstick, the petitioner said. He also claimed that a national party could not be denied permission for such an event when government and other private functions were being allowed freely.
