The Madras High Court on Monday, October 16, asked the state police to grant permission for route marches planned by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 35 places across Tamil Nadu. The marches are expected to be held on October 22 and 29, reports said.
According to The Hindu, Justice G Jayachandran passed a common order on petitions seeking permission for the marches. The order was passed after arguments posed by senior advocate G Karthikeyan and advocate Rabu Manohar who appeared on behalf of the RSS.
The judge also stated that the police must grant permission at least three to five days before the marches take place. The judge then went on to reject all the objections raised by the police and ordered that there must be no change in the route for the marches. However, Justice Jayachandran said that reasonable restrictions can be laid down.
A similar case came up for hearing in October 2022 when the RSS wanted to carry out route marches in light of the country’s 75th independence anniversary and Gandhi Jayanti. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led state government refused permission anticipating law and order issues after which the RSS approached the Madras High Court. On November 4, the Madras High Court granted permission with certain restrictions but on February 10, the restrictions were lifted.