Supreme Court paves way for RSS march in Tamil Nadu, tells State to finalise route by November 15

The Supreme Court on Monday paved the way for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to conduct a route march in Tamil Nadu.[Director General of Police vs K Chandrasekhar etc].A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta directed the Tamil Nadu government to take a final decision on permitted routes for the RSS march once a proposed route is submitted within three days. The Court added that a final decision in this regard has to be taken by November 15. ."The respondent may submit the proposed route for conducting the procession/rally within three days. The petitioner-authorities are directed to take an appropriate decision including the modification, if any, in the route, as agreed to by the respondents before the High Court, and shall inform the same on or before 15.11.2023," the Court directed..Notably, the Court also recorded the submission by both sides to the dispute that the march would be held either on November 19 or November 26. .The matter will be taken up next by the Court on November 20..The top court was hearing an appeal filed by the Tamil Nadu government against a Madras High Court order that had ordered the police to permit the RSS to hold its march across 35 locations on October 22 and 29.The Tamil Nadu government's decision to refuse permission went against the principle of secularism envisaged by the Constitution, the Madras High Court had stated in the said order.The High Court, however, also directed the State authorities and the participants of the route march to ensure the route march and public meetings are held “peacefully.”Senior Advocate Madhavi Divan appeared for the RSS.Senior Advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Kapil Sibal, with State Additional Advocate General Amit Anand Tiwari appeared for the Tamil Nadu government..The same issue had come up before the courts in October last year when the RSS sought the State government's permission to carry out its march and hold public meetings at several locations across Tamil Nadu to mark Gandhi Jayanti and 75 years of India’s independence.However, the State government had refused permission citing intelligence reports anticipating law and order problems. The RSS had then approached the Madras High Court which had granted relief. That order had subsequently been upheld by the Supreme Court. .RSS route march: Madras High Court summons DGP, Home Secretary after RSS files contempt of court plea.[Read order]