SC orders DMs to decide on permissions for ‘democracy yatra’ within three days

Nikhil De and Aruna Roy. File. | Photo Credit: Monica Tiwari

The Supreme Court has passed an interim order that Executive/District Magistrates should decide applications to hold public meetings, yatras, etc, to educate voters during elections period within three days of their submission for approval.

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The order was passed in a petition filed by activists Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey that Magistrates are passing blanket orders under Section 144 CrPC banning public gatherings during the entirety of the poll period. Applications for permission to conduct public meets are never acted upon by the Magistrates, the petition claimed.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, for the activists, said their application for permission to hold ‘democracy yatra’ during Lok Sabha election to educate the voters has been stonewalled by District Magistrates.