Madras High Court permits road show of PM Narendra Modi in Coimbatore on March 18

The Madras High Court on Friday permitted a 4-kilometer long road show during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Coimbatore on March 18. [J.Ramesh Kumar vs the Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore and Anr.].Justice N Anand Venkatesh observed that a meeting involving a Prime Minister will certainly cause hinderance to the free movement of public but that could not be a ground to deny permission."The hindrance to general public due to the visit of the Hon'ble Prime Minister is unavoidable and that cannot be raised as a ground to deny permission," the Court said.Hence, it is up to the police to find alternative routes to ensure smooth flow of traffic."The Police will have to find alternative routes to ensure smooth movement of the general public and vehicle. Ultimately, these leaders have been chosen by the people and hence, they should not be stopped from meeting the people who elected them," the Court said..The Court was hearing a plea by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Coimbatore District President J Ramesh Kumar against an order of the Assistant Commissioner, RS Puram Range that declined the party permission to conduct the road show in Mettupalaam Road, Coimbatore and to provide adequate police protection on March 18 from 4 PM for a distance of 4 km..The Assistant Commissioner, in the rejection order, cited hospitals, commercial establishments, government offices, educational institutions etc. which would be affected by the road show. He stated that the show was to take place during peak hours and would disturb free movement of general public. The order also referred to the ongoing board exams of students in classes 10 and 12. That apart, the order stated that the place where the road show will be conducted is a communally sensitive place and that it would be difficult to provide protection to the PM.Another reason assigned for rejection of the request was that till now, no permission had ever been granted for a road show to any person and therefore, the request could not be acted upon..The Court noted that as per the plea, the PM Modi wanted to meet the people and sensitize them about the various welfare measures and schemes provided by the office of the PM. "The Road Show is going to be held for 4 kilometers and during a short span of time, the Hon'ble Prime Minister wants to meet/interact with as many people as possible and therefore the Road Show has been chosen as a medium to meet the people," the Court added..The stand of the Assistant Commissioner that no road show had been permitted before, was deemed 'baseless' by the Court. "On many occasions, permission has been granted for Road Show for political leaders to meet the people. Therefore, this cannot be a ground for rejecting the permission," it said..The Court further noted that the show was to take place on an arterial road and concluded that there was no occasion to disturb students studying for board exams. Regarding the sensitivity of the proposed road, the Court stated that the PM is provided security cover by Special Protection Group (SPG) at all times and all that the police has to do is coordinate with the SPG. .Accordingly, the Court allowed the plea and directed the Assistant Commissioner to allow the road show and provide necessary protection subject to reasonable conditions. One such condition that the route and the distance covered will have to be fixed. Another being that no flex boards will be allowed to be erected by the organizers during the event..[Read Order].Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.