Calcutta HC denies BJP the permission to hold a Rath Yatra in Coochbehar

The Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court on Thursday, December 6, refused to constitute a special bench to hear the BJP's plea for permission to hold Rath Yatra in Coochbehar on Friday December 7 after the party failed to get relief from a single bench, informed party lawyer Phiroze Edulji

Lawyers for the BJP went to the chamber of Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta and prayed for constitution of a special bench as the normal court hours had ended for the day, said Edulji.

The chief justice, while refusing a hearing on Thursday evening itself, asked the BJP lawyers to move the appeal before the court on Friday morning at 10.30 am, he said.

Earlier in the day, the HC said it cannot give permission at this stage for the BJP rally in Coochbehar, scheduled to be flagged off by party president Amit Shah on Friday, after the West Bengal government refused to allow the event on the grounds that it might cause communal tension.

A single bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty observed that security arrangements at such a huge scale cannot be made within such short time.

The judge had also ruled that the rally stands deferred till the next date of hearing on January 9.

Immediately after the order was passed at the end of the court hours, the BJP lawyers went to the chief justice's chamber and prayed for constitution of a special bench to hear its appeal in the evening .

Amit Shah was scheduled to kickstart the party's 'Save Democracy Rally', comprising three rath yatras, in the state.