AP high court allows BCY public meet near Pedakakani with strict conditions

Vijayawada: The high court on Friday allowed a petition filed by the president of the BCY party, Bode Ramachandra Yadav, granting conditional permission to hold a public meeting near Pedakakani. The court observed that the police can regulate public meetings but cannot deny permission to propagate ideologies or express dissent.Yadav moved the high court after police denied permission for the proposed ‘BC Simha Garjana' meeting on Feb 22, citing his antecedents — including 12 cases and past inflammatory remarks — as well as the ongoing CBSE examinations.Senior counsel Y V Ravi Prasad, who appeared for Yadav, argued that the police can impose any condition to regulate the meeting, and that citing the reason of ongoing examinations was not tenable as no exam was scheduled on the day of the meeting. He said that denying permission to hold a meeting curtailed the fundamental right to speech guaranteed by the Constitution.Considering the arguments on both sides, justice Y Lakshmana Rao observed that there was a catena of judgments by the apex court in which it was ruled that the police cannot deny permission to hold a public meeting but can regulate the same. Granting permission to hold the meeting, the court put several conditions on the petitioner.The meeting should be held between 2 pm and 6 pm, with arrangements for water, food, and medical services. The premises must be covered by CCTV cameras, and the petitioner must refrain from making comments against individuals or obstructing traffic with processions on the national highway. The court made it clear that the petitioner is responsible for any untoward incident or law and situation before, during, and after the meeting.