Give 3 tentative dates for 'Rath Yatra': Calcutta High Court to BJP

KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday asked the state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to provide three tentative dates for the 'Rath Yatra'.  The court also asked the Advocate General of the state to present the video footage of the meeting held between the BJP delegates and the West Bengal government on December 13. 

The next hearing in the matter is on Wednesday, December 18.

The party moved the Calcutta High Court on Monday with a fresh plea, challenging the West Bengal government's denial of permission to the party's proposed 'rath yatra' in the state.

West Bengal government had held a meeting on the 'rath yatra' with a three-member BJP team as per the HC's direction, following which it informed the party on Saturday that permission could be granted for the 'yatra'.

The party had proposed to take out three 'rath yatras' in different parts of the state ahead of the Lok Sabha election in 2019. The BJP moved a division bench of the Calcutta High Court after a single-judge bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty refused permission to the party to hold the yatra.

The division bench had on December 7 directed the West Bengal chief secretary, the home secretary and the director general of police to hold a meeting with three representatives of the BJP by December 12, and take a decision on the 'yatra' by December 14.

The BJP has now decided to organise a ‘pad yatra’ across the state. While the BJP is still awaiting a final order from the court, it has said that ‘pad yatra’ will be organised in all districts of West Bengal till the nod is given for rath yatra.