The Calcutta High Court on Monday dismissed a petition seeking a direction to the Central governmentto permit the West Bengal tableau of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the Republic Day parade.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj rejected the petition on grounds that the petitioner had “belatedly approached this court”.
“As the Republic Day celebration is day after tomorrow, therefore, at this stage, no effective direction can be issued. Hence, no case for interference in the present writ petition is made out which is accordingly dismissed,” the order said.
The court pointed out that Additional Solicitor General had submitted that “Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was ignored by the earlier governments but the present government is treating Netaji as an icon and recognising his contribution to hastening the process of Independence”. He had also submitted that a hologram of Netaji had been put up at India Gate and it would be replaced by a statue of Netaji in August. So far as reasons for rejection were concerned, if the State wanted, “the same can be duly supplied and that the decision to exclude a Tableau is taken as per the rules which exist and reasons for rejection must be existing”.
The Trinamool Congress leadership has raised questions over the Centre not giving any reason for not including the tableau in the Republic Day parade. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said the same tableau will roll down Kolkata’s Red Road on Republic Day in Kolkata.
