RSS Sends Contempt Notice To Tamil Nadu Government, Police For Not Granting Permission For Route March Despite Being Allowed By Madras HC

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Tamil Nadu has issued a contempt notice to the state's home department and senior police officers for failing to grant permission for their route march on Sunday, despite permission being granted by the Madras High Court.

Last week, the court authorised route marches in 11 districts but denied permission in three districts, citing a lack of personnel to provide security due to other events.

The state RSS unit issued a statement on Sunday, claiming that the police had not issued permission across the state, and described it as contempt of court.

The RSS customarily conducts a parade during the Vijayadashami festival, which coincides with the organisation's founding in 1925. A Adalarsan, president of RSS Tamil Nadu (South), asserted, "in recent times, the police have made a habit of denying permission."

He added, "soon, the RSS will hold processions in every district in Tamil Nadu, which is our right as enshrined in the Constitution."

In a similar situation in October last year, the RSS approached the court after the police denied permission for the march.

At that time, the state government cited intelligence reports of potential law and order disruptions following petrol bomb attacks on BJP and RSS members.

These attacks occurred after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in September.

However, the court permitted the RSS to hold marches in 44 out of 50 locations in Tamil Nadu in November.

This year, an RSS worker from Tamil Nadu's Nilgiris district, R Thiagarajan, petitioned the Madras High Court because the police rejected his request to conduct a route march followed by a public meeting.

On 16 October, the high court issued a common order instructing the Tamil Nadu police to grant permission for the march.

Thiagarajan notified the state's home secretary, director general of police, and other police officers that he might initiate contempt of court proceedings against them for willfully disobeying orders.

As of now, the state police have not responded to these developments. In another incident, the police arrested six BJP members for erecting a 45-foot-high flagpole at the residence of state BJP president K Annamalai in Chennai without permission, citing safety concerns.

Following this event, BJP president J P Nadda established a four-member committee to visit Tamil Nadu.

The committee aims to report on the alleged brutal and irrational behaviour of the Tamil Nadu government towards their party workers in the state.

Annamalai expressed confidence in the committee's ability to bring to light the government's excesses and misuse of power over the last 30 months.