Mumbai Congress president Bhai Jagtap withdrew his plea filed in the Bombay High Court on Tuesday seeking a direction to the Maharashtra government to grant permission to hold a public meeting at Shivaji Park on December 28, the 137th Foundation Day of the Indian National Congress. Party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were to attend the meeting.
Jagtap had filed the petition on Monday and was to be heard before a division bench of justices Amjad Sayed and Abhay Ahuja on Tuesday.
However, Jagtap's counsel VA Thorat mentioned the plea in the morning before the court and said he has instructions to withdraw the petition “unconditionally”. Throat did not specify the reason behind the withdrawal. The court permitted withdrawal of the plea.
The plea had stated that the party had submitted an application to the state government in October 2021 seeking permission to hold the rally in which Sonia and Rahul will be participating. However, the government has not taken any decision yet. They had even sought permission to erect a temporary stage on one portion of the Shivaji Park.
In 2010, the High Court had declared the Shivaji Park area as a silence zone following a PIL filed by an NGO ‘Wecom Trust’.
The court had then said that programmes can be held at the park only on December 6 (death anniversary of Dr Ambedkar), May 1 (Maharashtra-state foundation day) and on January 26 (Republic Day). However, the state government and the BMC later carved out 45 days in a year to permit non-sporting activities in the ground. Of these, 11 days are still pending, Jagtap’s counsel Pradeep Thorat has said.
