Delhi Police gives nod to 'Muslim Mahapanchayat'

The city police told the Delhi high court on Friday they have granted permission to Mission Save Constitution, an organisation that claims to be working for protection of citizen rights, to hold an 'All India Muslim Mahapanchayat' at the Ramlila grounds on December 18 subject to certain conditions for safe and smooth conduct of the event.

Justice Subramonium Prasad disposed of the petition filed by the organisation after taking note of the Delhi Police's submission, and made it clear that no other department will raise any objection to the event or on the availability of the venue on the designated date.

In view of the fact that permission has been granted to the petitioner to hold the event on December 18 on the points to be ensured by the organizer in order to secure safe and smooth conduct of the programme, the writ petition is disposed of, the high court said.

Mission Save Constitution had earlier approached the court stating it was aggrieved by the pendency of a decision by the deputy commissioner of police, Central District, on its application seeking a no-objection certificate (NOC) for organising the Mahapanchayat at Ramlila grounds on December 4.

Since the ground was not available on December 4, the court had asked the police to give the dates when it was available for the petitioner to hold the event, and the organisation chose December 18.

The police authorities, represented by advocate Arun Panwar, asked the petitioners to assure them on certain points including that the gathering will not significantly increase from the proposed 10,000 people to ensure that the event was conducted safely and smoothly.

The Delhi police also said the names and number of speakers, as conveyed to the authorities, will not exceed or change, and no speaker would say anything against Indian laws or make hate speech that could disturb public harmony, peace and tranquility of the area.

In a status report filed in the case, the city police had earlier said a large religious gathering, as proposed by the petitioner in an area that has a mixed population, is alarming and, in the interest of communal harmony and law and order, the petitioner should change the venue of the event.

It had also said it has already given a no-objection certificate (NOC) to Maha Tyagi Seva Sansthan for organising the 'Mahayagya for Vishwa Jan Kalyan' at the Ramlila grounds from December 3 to 5 and therefore, the venue is not available for the petitioner on December 4.

The organisation said in its plea that it wanted to initiate a series of events for strengthening the weaker sections of society, beginning with minority communities and followed by other communities like Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBC), and that the voice of all the oppressed would be raised at its meetings.

The organisation, headed by advocate Mehmood Pracha, has said it works to raise awareness among the masses, especially the oppressed classes, about their rights as enshrined in the Constitution and for utilising constitutional and legal provisions for alleviating their distress and suffering.