Court Seeks Clarity on Celebrating Tipu Sultan's Birth Anniversary

The Bombay High Court questioned the Pune police on restrictions regarding a rally commemorating Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary. The court emphasized that law and order concerns should not obstruct the celebration and asked the police to coordinate on a feasible route for the rally.

The Bombay High Court on Thursday questioned the Pune rural police about any existing bans on celebrating the birth anniversary of 18th-century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan. The court instructed the police to address a plea allowing a commemorative rally. Highlighting that law and order issues should not be the basis for denying such events, the division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and S G Dige responded to the petition by Faiyaz Shaikh, Pune president of the AIMIM party.

According to the plea, the police had denied permission for the rally, urging celebrations be held privately instead of in public spaces, citing law and order concerns. The court asked whether any prohibition existed on such rallies and suggested alternative routes if specific areas were deemed problematic.

The court highlighted that banning rallies is unwarranted if law and order can be managed effectively. Additional Public Prosecutor Kranti Hivrale confirmed no official ban, but raised policing concerns. The court directed the petitioner to collaborate with Pune Superintendent of Police Pankaj Deshmukh to finalize a rally route, rescheduling the hearing for December 17.

(With inputs from agencies.)