Karnataka HC declines to stop road shows by political parties for Assembly election campaigning

The high court on Friday disposed of the PIL seeking restrictions on road shows during and after the elections in the state. The petitioner party-in-person Amrutesh N P, a city-based advocate, had specifically apprehended that the intended road shows of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 6 and 7 in Bengaluru would disrupt the day to day lives of several classes of people.

The petitioner had said that since the duration of the rally and length of the road to be covered on May 6 and 7 being too much, the same should not be permitted. A vacation division bench headed by Justice Krishna S Dixit disposed of the petition after the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Bengaluru District Election Officer (DEO) informed the court that a total 2,517 rallies of various sizes were held throughout the state since March 29 and no untoward incident has been reported.

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“The above having been said this court places on record the broad submission made from the side of the respondents that while the political rally if undertaken tomorrow and a day after, all precautionary measures would be taken keeping in view the movement of ambulances, school and college buses, commutation of students, general public, movement of essential supply vehicles and the measures for non escalation of environmental hazards and possible damage to public and private property during the rally. Submission that the level of inconvenience to the public would be immensely diminished by taking appropriate measures is also taken on record,” the bench said.

The DEO and the city police commissioner Pratap Reddy were present before the court during the hearing. The DEO made a statement that they are going to consider the application for the grant of permission for the rallies to be held on May 6 and May 7 keeping all the parameters of the law and after consulting the other officers. He also submitted that if at all permission is granted, that would be for 26 kms, at the longest, on May 6 between 9 am and 1.30 pm. The roadshow will be around 6.5 kms on May 7 between 9 am and 11.30 am, keeping in view the NEET examination later on the day.