AMN / KOLKATA

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday denied permission for Amit Shah rally in West Bengal saying it cannot give permission at this stage for the BJP rally in Coochbehar. Earlier the West Bengal government refused to allow the event on the grounds that it might cause communal tension.

The court directed that superintendents of police of all districts in West Bengal will file a report by December 21 to it on the holding of ‘rath yatra’ rallies by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), after hearing all the district presidents of the party.

Directing that the rally stands deferred till the next date of hearing on January 9, Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty observed that the prayer of BJP for permission to hold the ‘rath yarta’ cannot be granted at this stage.

The BJP was scheduled to hold three ‘rath yatras’ that will start from different parts and traverse all the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies.

The West Bengal government has refused permission to BJP president Amit Shah’s proposed ‘rath yatra’ from Coochbehar on grounds that it might cause communal tension, the state’s advocate general informed the Calcutta High Court on Thursday.

State’s advocate general Kishore Dutta told the court that the Coochbehar superintendent of police refused permission for the BJP president’s rath yatra from Friday.

The state submitted that it might cause communal tension.

Asked by the judge who will take responsibility if anything untoward happens, BJP counsel Anindya Mitra submitted it is the duty of the state government to maintain law and order.