Madras High Court Directs Police to Allow Procession with National Flag

The Madras High Court on Friday directed the police to grant permission for a procession carrying the national flag, questioning the restrictions imposed on such rallies by the local administration.

Justice V Lakshminarayanan issued the directions while hearing a plea moved by BJP functionary J Rameshkumar, who challenged the denial of permission for an Independence Day rally originally scheduled for August 15 in Coimbatore.

During the hearing, Justice Lakshminarayanan questioned whether carrying the national flag in a procession was a sinful act and asked whether Coimbatore was part of Pakistan or Afghanistan for such restrictions to be imposed. The court recalled the sacrifice of freedom fighter Tiruppur Kumaran, who died holding the national flag during the freedom struggle, and asked why restrictions should be placed on carrying it.

The Coimbatore police submitted that permission was denied because the proposed route fell along a major, crowded road with schools, colleges, and a bus stop, raising concerns over potential law-and-order issues. Police stated that permission had been granted for processions at 12 designated spots and maintained that authorities were not preventing anyone from carrying the national flag.

The court observed that permission had earlier been denied for a procession by the Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam and subsequently for the BJP, questioning whether clearances were being granted exclusively to the ruling party.

Following the submissions, the court directed the police to grant permission for the rally to take place on August 18 from ARC junction on Mettupalayam Road to Chinthamani between 4 pm and 7 pm.