Calcutta HC allows 'Droh carnival', dismisses Kolkata Police's prohibitory orders

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday allowed the representatives of the medical fraternity to conduct 'Droh carnival', the human-chain protest demonstration against the rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata. 

A single-judge bench of Justice Ravi Krishan Kapur has also dismissed the prohibitory orders imposed by Kolkata Police on the route of the 'Droh-Carnival'.

Immediately after the Calcutta High Court's order, the medical fraternity started staging the 'Droh carnival'.

Kolkata Police denied permission to 'Droh-Carnival', saying it would coincide with the Durga idol immersion organised by the West Bengal government on the same afternoon.

While dismissing the prohibitory orders by the city police, Justice Kapur observed that every person has the right to peaceful protest demonstration, and in the past too, the court has made similar observations.

At the same time, Justice Kapur directed the city police to raise a barricade between Rani Rashmoni Road, the venue of the 'Droh-Carnival' and Red Road, the venue of the idol immersion carnival, so that the two events were separated.

Before passing the order, Justice Kapur questioned the state government on what conditions the latter wanted to impose for allowing the two carnivals in a parallel manner.

However, the state government counsel kept on insisting that the 'Droh carnival' be conducted some other day.

In his argument, Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya, the counsel of the Joint Platform of Doctors, who challenged the prohibitory orders by the city police, said that the police cannot determine the date of peaceful protests by anyone.

"Doctors are not hooligans. I assure that there will be peaceful protests," argued Bhattacharya, also the CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member.

Later, Bhattacharya also said that since the Calcutta High Court has dismissed the prohibitory orders altogether, the police will have to remove all the barricades that they raised on the route of 'Droh-Carnival'.