Madras High Court Directs Police to Allow National Flag Rally in Coimbatore

The Madras High Court on Friday questioned the denial of permission for a procession carrying the national flag in Coimbatore and directed the police to allow the event on August 18.

Justice V Lakshminarayanan made the observations while hearing a petition filed by BJP functionary J Rameshkumar, who challenged the local administration's decision to deny permission for a planned Independence Day rally on August 15.

During the hearing, Coimbatore police submitted that permission had been refused because the petitioner sought to hold the procession along a major road that is heavily crowded with schools, colleges, and a bus stop. The police stated that the proposed path was not a permissible route for processions and allowing it could trigger law-and-order problems. They added that processions could be permitted at 12 designated locations across Coimbatore and maintained that the government was not preventing anyone from carrying the national flag.

Addressing the submissions, Justice Lakshminarayanan asked whether carrying the national flag in a procession was a sinful act and questioned the restrictions imposed on the event.

Recalling freedom fighter Tirupur Kumaran, who died holding the national flag during the freedom struggle, the judge questioned why police were refusing permission for a procession involving the flag. The court observed that the petitioners were also in India and noted that permission had previously been denied for a procession by the Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam and now the BJP, questioning whether permission was being reserved only for the ruling party.

Following the hearing, the court ordered the police to grant permission for the rally to be conducted on August 18 between 4 pm and 7 pm. The approved route spans from ARC junction on Mettupalayam Road to Chinthamani in North Coimbatore.