Now Reading: Madras HC questions TN police denying RSS route march permission
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Madras HC questions TN police denying RSS route march permission
The Madras High Court on Wednesday, 14 October, orally questioned why the Tamil Nadu police were denying permission for an RSS route march when the organisation was allowed to hold marches even in ‘terrorist-infested’ places like Jammu and Kashmir. Justice V Lakshminarayanan remarked orally that the state government was ‘seeing citizens as enemies’ by refusing permission for processions by both the RSS and the Dravidar Kazhagam, forcing them to approach the court every year.
The court was hearing a petition by RSS member VG Jagadeesan seeking permission for route marches on 18 and 25 October and 1 November 2026. Senior Advocate NL Rajah submitted that the RSS had been denied permission annually. Advocate General Vijay Narayan said permission was refused because the organisation sought to hold the march at a location not designated for public gatherings. The court directed five petitioner-side members to meet State Public Prosecutor John Sathyan to resolve the date, time and place, and adjourned the hearing to Thursday, 15 October, asking the state to submit a report for permitting a peaceful procession.
Indian Opinion Analysis
LiveLaw and Times Now both foreground the Madras High Court’s sharp oral remark that the state government is ‘seeing citizens as enemies’, framing the denial as a government-versus-citizen issue. The Hindu reports the same comment but balances it with Advocate General Vijay Narayan’s justification that the requested routes were not conducive and would inconvenience the public during the festival season. LiveLaw adds the court’s observation that this has happened under successive governments, not just the current one, while Times Now repeats that line. All sources agree on the hearing’s outcome: the court directed five petitioner-side members to meet the State Public Prosecutor on Wednesday (14 October) and adjourned to Thursday (15 October) for a report on permitting a peaceful march. No source reports any final order or permission granted yet.
Coverage: 4 sources, 1 government-critical, 3 neutral
Sources (4): livelaw.in (government critical), livelaw.in (2) (neutral report), thehindu.com (neutral report), timesnownews.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 4 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
