Supreme Court clears RSS marches in Tamil Nadu, dismissing govt's pleas against Madras HC order

A bench of Justices V Ramasubramanian and Pankaj Mithal said, 'All special leave petitions are dismissed'

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea by Tamil Nadu government challenging the Madras High Court order, which allowed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to conduct a route march across the state.

A bench presided over by Justice V Ramasubramanian pronounced the order in one line, saying all special leave petitions are dismissed. The details of the judgement is yet to be uploaded on the SC's website.

During the hearing, RSS, led by senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, had contended that if its march is faced with a threat by a terrorist organisation in Tamil Nadu then the state government has to protect it.

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Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the Tamil Nadu, had said the state was not totally opposed to having route marches and public meetings across the state, but it cannot be in every street, every mohalla.

He claimed that the state government cannot shut its eyes to law and order concerns. The state was wary of allowing the 'march' at places affected by the banned PFI and those that had witnessed bomb blasts previously.

The RSS, however, had submitted that the state government cannot stop an organisation from holding peaceful marches by citing apprehensions in connection with a banned outfit.

The RSS cannot be singled out against the backdrop that marches have been held by Dalit Panthers and the ruling DMK party, it said. It insisted that the state government cannot abdicate its responsibilities.

The state government, for its part, said it was ready to share Intelligence reports with the RSS containing the apprehension of breach of peace, and law and order problems.