Karnataka High Court Approves RSS Centenary March in Chittapur: What's Next?

Karnataka High Court Grants Permission for RSS March

Kalaburagi: On Sunday, the Karnataka High Court approved the centenary march of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) scheduled for November 2 in Chittapur town.

The court requested the event organizers to submit a new application and instructed the government to review the request, postponing the matter until October 24.

This decision was made by the Kalaburagi Bench while addressing the petition on an urgent basis.

Ashok Patil, a leader from the Kalaburagi District RSS, filed the petition after local authorities denied permission for the march, despite having followed the necessary procedures.

Justice M.G.S. Kamal, leading the bench, inquired about which authority holds the legal power to authorize such events.

Senior counsel Arun Shyam, representing the petitioner, explained that the initial application was made to the police on Monday and subsequently to the Executive Magistrate on Friday, but permission was refused on October 19.

The bench further questioned the necessity of permission for a march that is not a protest and sought clarification on the legal requirements for such authorization. The petitioner’s counsel argued that there is no definitive law governing this issue.

In defense, the government’s counsel stated that the denial was based on concerns for law and order, as other groups like the Bhim Army and Dalit Panthers had also requested permits for their processions.

The High Court instructed the government to schedule different times for the various organizations' processions. The court noted that the RSS has successfully conducted marches in 250 locations throughout the state without any reported incidents.

The RSS has approached the Kalaburagi Bench to contest the Chittapur Tahsildar's decision that denied permission for its centenary procession, which was initially planned for October 19.

Priyank Kharge, the Minister for RDPR, IT, and BT, who represents the Chittapur constituency, recently called for a ban on RSS activities, sparking controversy.