High Court gives 'Go Ahead' to Advani's rath yatras

New Delhi, Mar 31: The Delhi High Court today gave 'go ahead' to the 'rath yatras' by BJP leaders L K Advani and Rajnath Singh from Dwarka and Puri respectively from April 6.

A division bench headed by Justice M K Sharma said the court could not curtail the fundamental rights of the leaders from carrying out yatras on the ground that they might create law and order problem and communal tension.

To maintain the law and order was the responsibility of the state and state governments would be making arrangements in their respective state for the smooth movements of the yatras, observed the Judges.

Government Counsel Kailash Gambhir submitted that the court should not interfere in the affairs of the political rallies and yatras and the state governments would be taking care of the law and order situation.

Mr Gambhir said the high court did not have the jurisdiction to hear the petitions as the Yatras were starting from Gujarat and Orissa led by former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and BJP President Rajnath Singh respectively.

The Court pulled up the petitioners for filing such frivolous petitions and forced them to withdraw them.

''Either you withdraw the petitions or we would impose heavy cost,'' said the Judges to Counsel N K Jha appearing for the petitiones.

Then Mr Jha withdrew the petition.

On March 22, the Indian National Sikh Youth Forum had filed a petition in the High Court seeking direction to stop the rath yatras as they might create communal hatred in the country. Many more petitions were filed subsequently.

''The proposed yatras are likely to incite the communal feelings amongst the Hindus, Muslims and other minority communities in the country and expose them to the hatred, which led to the Gujrat riots,'' said the petition.

The petition had sought the direction of the court to Mr Advani and Mr Singh to desist from proceeding with the proposed yatras which would pass through many states inciting people to fight against one another.

UNI

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