File photo of Union Minister Babul Supriyo. (GETTY IMAGES)
Kolkata: The Calcutta high court has quashed Asansol Mayor Jitendra Tewari’s decision to deny BJP MP Babul Supriyo permission to hold the proposed Sansad Mela in Asansol.
Mayor Tewari had denied permission to hold the proposed Mela citing law and order apprehensions while Supriyo cried political conspiracy.
Court has directed the Asansol Municipal Corporation to allow organisers to hold the fair at the proposed venue of Asansol divisional railway stadium (loco ground).
The court, however, has prohibited organizers from holding the proposed cultural programme at the venue where several Bollywood singers were scheduled to perform.
The fair, a mix of several central government schemes and cultural programmes, was supposed to be inaugurated on Thursday by Supriyo, who is the local MP.
The court has also permitted municipal authorities to step in and seek help from police if crowd management gets difficult during the course of the fair.
The order has authorised municipal body to close down any particular stall or the entire mela if the situation so warrants in terms of possible out of control situation.
The order was passed by a division bench of the Calcutta High Court after considering images of the venue on WhatsApp and Google Earth.
Court rejected Mayor’s SMS citing stampede possibilities at the fair venue even with programmes of distribution of Passports, Aadhar Cards and tricycles to the physically challenged.
The three-day fair will now be inaugurated on Friday as the musical concert, which has now been canceled, was scheduled for Thursday.