The Bombay High Court has sought the Maharashtra government’s response to a petition seeking police permission for a Constitution Day programme at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan from November 24 to 26, after the organisers alleged that authorities had delayed a decision on their applications.
The petition was filed by the Democratic Forum of Social Workers, a trust that wants to hold a public awareness conference and conduct a campaign involving a four-wheeler handcart carrying a bust of Dr B R Ambedkar, the national flag, a copy of the Constitution and pamphlets. The material is intended to be distributed to build support among like-minded citizens in Mumbai.
The trust has told the court that it has been conducting social welfare activities since 2014 and has organised programmes connected with the Constitution since 2019 with police permission. It said the proposed event is part of a nationwide public awareness campaign to promote Ambedkar’s ideology, unite citizens beyond religious divisions and raise funds for the first phase of a proposed padayatra from Mumbai to Kanyakumari.
According to the petition, the conference will include speeches by constitutional experts and other prominent personalities. The organisers have described the central theme as “Democracy on the brink of death and significance of Dr Ambedkar’s visionary thought and ideology”. They said the programme would also include constructive guidance and the presentation of proposed measures on the subject.
The dispute has also brought the city’s permission process for public events into focus. The trust said it first approached the regional transport office, which refused permission and advised it to contact the Mumbai commissioner of police. It claimed that applications submitted to the commissioner on September 11 and September 28 had not resulted in permission or a final decision.
The petition alleges that the delay and inaction infringe the trust’s fundamental rights to equality, freedom of speech and expression, and peaceful assembly. These are claims made by the petitioner and are yet to be answered by the state authorities in the proceedings.
During the hearing, trust president Pravin Singhal told Justices Advait Sethna and Ranjitsinha Bhonsale that detailed arrangements would be required for the proposed programme. The court said the matter required consideration and listed it for hearing on November 18.
The judges directed government prosecutor Shreekant Gavand to obtain instructions and, if considered appropriate, file a reply on behalf of the state. The court’s next hearing will take place before the proposed November 24-26 programme at Azad Maidan.
