The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court on Friday allowed Chandrashekhar Azad's Bhim Army to hold their workers' meet at Reshimbagh grounds in Nagpur on February 22.
The case was heard by a division bench comprising of Justices Sunil B Shukre and Madhav J Jamdar.
The bench gave the Dalit organisation permission to hold the meeting but also set certain conditions that the outfit needs to follow. It stated that meeting shall not be converted into a public demonstration or public protest, and asked the Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad to give a written undertaking that the party would abide by the conditions.
"No inflammatory speeches and no such speeches as would tend to or incite violence or spread hatred amongst citizens or communal ill-feeling or which would lower down the dignity and reputation of the citizens and nation or prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India or public order shall be given by anybody taking part in the meeting," the court stated in its order.
"The petitioner and main speaker Chandrashekhar Azad shall give a written undertaking that they would abide by and ensure compliance with the above-referred conditions to this court, through the registrar of this court, before the start of the meet which undertaking shall form part of this order," the court order added.
Upon breaching of the conditions set aside by the court, the violator shall be liable to contempt of court action along with criminal law action.
The court also added that the meeting shall be held between 2 pm and 5 pm on February 22.
On February 12, Bhim Army filed a petition in the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court seeking permission for the workers meet in Nagpur.
On Tuesday, the HC had issued notices to the Maharashtra government and the Nagpur police commissioner on the petition filed by a Bhim Army functionary.
The ground is close to the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the police had earlier denied permission for the meet, citing law and order issues.
The Dalit outfit moved the high court after the police denied permission for the event.
It may also be noted that the Bhim Army Chief Chandra Shekhar Azad was sent to judicial custody on December 21 in connection with the violence during an anti-CAA protest in Old Delhi's Daryaganj, and was later released from Tihar Jail on January 16 after a Delhi court granted him bail in the case. Azad's party organised a march from Jama Masjid to Jantar Mantar against the controversial citizenship law without police permission.
(With agency inputs)
