Madras High Court grants permission for PM Modi's roadshow in Coimbatore after police's denial

Madras High Court on Friday granted permission to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled roadshow in the Tamil Nadu city of Coimbatore.

Justice N Anand Venkatesh directed the Coimbatore Police to permit a 4-km road show on March 18 with certain conditions.

The court's order came after the BJP approached the court in response to police denying permission for the saffron party to hold a roadshow citing security risks.

According to local media reports, the police commissioner denied the BJP's request saying that it would cause inconvenience to the public and that the route chosen for the roadshow was allegedly communally sensitive.

The BJP has filed an appeal against this decision in the Madras High Court. Justcice N Anand Venkatesh said he will pass orders by 4.30 pm today.

PM Modi's tour is expected to end at RS Puram, which was one of the locations where the 1998 serial blasts had taken place.

India Today has reported that no political parties or groups have been given permission for roadshows given the communally sensitive nature of Coimbatore.

The officials also said that public exams are scheduled for March 18 and 19, and there are multiple schools located along the proposed route for the roadshow.

Notably, this might have been the first roadshow of PM Modi in Coimbatore. During his visit to Coimbatore in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he addressed only a public meeting at Codissia grounds.

During his recent visit to Tirupur too, he did not hold roadshows. The demand for a roadshow in Coimbatore is believed to have stemmed from the tremendous response to his roadshows in Srirangam and Chennai.

Also read | Permission denied for PM Modi's roadshow in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore