High Court Approves Mamata Banerjees Rally in Shrirampur with Limited Attendance

Shrirampur, September 17 (Daily Kiran) : The Calcutta High Court has granted former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee permission to hold a rally in Shrirampur on September 26. The event, set to take place at the Shrirampur Court ground, will be limited to a maximum of 1,000 party workers.

Justice Sougata Bhattacharya, presiding over the single-judge bench, specified that the rally would be held from 4 PM to 6 PM. He emphasized that no rally or procession would follow the event, and organizers must ensure that traffic on the nearby Grand Trunk Road is not disrupted.

Banerjee’s faction of the Trinamool Congress had initially sought to gather 2,000 party workers for the meeting. However, the state government objected, citing safety concerns due to the narrow area of the Shrirampur Court ground. The government also mentioned that Banerjee, who receives Z-plus security, requires space to maintain safety protocols.

The state’s lawyer argued that allowing 2,000 attendees could lead to a stampede if the designated safety area was breached. In contrast, Kalyan Banerjee, a lawyer for the Trinamool Congress and a four-time Lok Sabha MP, contested this argument, pointing out that a recent concert by singer Shreya Ghoshal drew a crowd of 50,000 at the same venue.

After hearing both sides, Justice Bhattacharya concluded that only 1,000 attendees would be permitted at the rally.

Previously, Banerjee’s faction had planned a rally and subsequent procession in Shrirampur on September 11, but complications regarding police permissions led to the case being brought before the Calcutta High Court. Justice Bhattacharya had initially allowed a gathering at the Snanpiri ground in Mahesh, Shrirampur. However, the trustees of the nearby Jagannath Temple challenged this ruling, arguing that the Snanpiri ground is private property and should not host political events.

The division bench of the High Court then referred the matter back to Justice Bhattacharya, who ultimately granted conditional permission for the rally at the Shrirampur Court ground.