The Supreme Court on November 20 asked the Tamil Nadu government to present the Madras High Court with a proposal detailing the modalities to be followed by organisers of rallies and route marches in the State in the future.
A Bench headed by Justice Surya Kant passed the order while hearing a case concerning a plea by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to conduct a route march in the State.
The apex court had granted the State the liberty to finalise the route for the event.
The RSS had held the March on November 19.
However, appearing for the State, senior advocate Kapil Sibal and Tamil Nadu Additional Advocate General Amit Anand Tiwari said the State was still facing contempt notice issued by the High Court. Mr. Sibal asked the apex court to intervene and pass orders to close the contempt proceedings in the High Court.
The Bench, however, directed the State to submit the proposal, and exempted the contemnor authorities from appearing in court in the contempt case.
The contempt case was based on allegations that the State had not complied with two separate orders of the Madras High Court in October allowing the RSS March.
In one of the orders, Justice G. Jayachandran had concluded that the State’s refusal to permit the route marches was “certainly not in tune with Secular or democratic way of governance” and contrary to the “principle of secularism”.
In the previous hearing on November 6, the event organisers had highlighted how they had already given an “unconditional undertaking” to maintain peace and cooperate with the authorities.
