Allahabad HC issues notice to 4 major UP parties on PIL seeking ban on caste-based rallies

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Monday issued notices to the four major political parties of Uttar Pradesh seeking their response on a PIL seeking a complete ban on caste-based rallies.

The bench has fixed April 10 as the next date of hearing in the matter.

A bench of Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Jaspreet Singh passed the order on an old Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by local lawyer Motilal Yadav.

The petitioner had sought a ban on the caste-based rallies in Uttar Pradesh. Hearing the matter on July 11, 2013, the bench had put an interim ban on organising caste-based rallies in the state.

The bench had also issued notices to the main political parties -- the BJP, the Samajwadi Party, the BSP and the Congress -- to submit their response in the matter.

The bench found on Monday that the notices were not served to the said political parties.

Expressing concern over this, the bench has issued fresh notices to enable the political parties to file their response.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India has filed the response, but since the copy of the response was not traceable on record, the bench has sought fresh copy of its response.

In its order passed in 2013, the bench had observed, "The unrestricted freedom to hold caste-based rallies, which is to the total disliking and beyond the comprehension of the modern generation and also being contrary to the public interest, cannot be justified. It will rather be an act of negating the rule of law and denying the fundamental rights to citizens." The bench had also said, "In their attempt to seek political base in the caste system by means of politicization, it appears that the political parties have seriously disturbed the social fabrics and cohesiveness. It has rather resulted in causing social fissions." In the PIL, the petitioner submitted that the caste minorities in the country, because of anti-democratic activities of political parties designed in order to woo the votes of majority groups, have been reduced to the category of second-class citizens in their own country.

"Despite the clear constitutional provisions and the fundamental rights enshrined therein, they are feeling disillusioned, dismayed and betrayed because of being placed in disadvantageous position in the number game of vote politics," the petitioner added.

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