The "occurrence of an untoward incident" such as a riot "cannot necessarily preclude holding of procession/s on religious occasion/s, as per the prevalent practise in the previous years," the Delhi High Court has said in an order.
Justice Sachin Datta made the observation on April 9 while dealing with a petition by Arvind Mishra, who challenged the Delhi Police's denial of permission for holding a procession on April 12 on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti. Mishra said in the court that while processions have been organised since 2010 in the Jahangirpuri area, the police has not granted the requisite approval or permission for the Hanuman Jayanti procession since 2019.
The Delhi Police pointed out that a riot took place in the area in 2022 on Hanuman Jayanti when several rounds of bullets were fired by rioters, injuring a policeman. The police added that others were also injured during the riot. The police stated that after that the "permission for procession/Shobha Yatra was not granted to any person, keeping in view the volatile and uncertain situation in the area."
Credits : Indian Express
