The Madras High Court on Friday directed the police to grant permission to the RSS to take out a procession and hold a public meeting at seven places in the State on November 9, the organisation founder’s day.

The processions and meetings should be held in the places earmarked by the police with reasonable restrictions.

Justice V. Ramasubramanian passed the order on writ petitions filed by RSS office-bearers seeking a directive to the authorities to permit the procession and the public meeting or set aside the orders of partial or total rejection of the requests for holding the event in Chennai, Tiruvarur, Tuticorin, Karur, Tenkasi, Thuckalay and Coimbatore.

The stand of the authorities was that in view of the amendment to Section 41-A of the Chennai City Police Act, the Commissioner had the power to prohibit any drill, training or assembly with arms. The RSS volunteers wore a uniform resembling that of the police force and also carried lathis. Hence, permission could not be granted.

Mr. Justice Ramasubramanian said that fundamentally, the orders passed by the authorities were not as per the mandate of Section 41-A. This was because this provision had no application to holding of processions but only to drill, training, assembly with arms or assembly in uniform. No member of the police force today wore short-pants. It was claimed that the uniform of the volunteers was designed in 1920s. Therefore, the authorities appeared to have raised a bogey. They had taken recourse to a wrong provision of law. Hence, the impugned orders were liable to be set aside.

The judge said counsel for the petitioners submitted that the processionists would not carry lathis and not shout slogans inciting violence or offending anyone’s sentiments. The organisers were prepared to give the names and addresses of persons who would take responsibility for any untoward incident. After having permitted several organisations to take out processions and hold public meetings, it might not be possible to deny permission to the petitioners, Mr, Justice Ramasubramanian said.