HC irked over UP govt's failure to state what action would be taken against caste-based political rallies

Lucknow, Oct 10 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court expressed displeasure on Friday over the Uttar Pradesh government's failure to clearly state what action it would take if a political party organised a caste-based rally, despite earlier directions.

The court had banned such rallies on July 11, 2013.

The Lucknow bench of the court directed the state government to either file a detailed affidavit within three days in compliance with its August 7, 2024 order or ensure the presence of the principal secretary concerned on the next date of hearing.

The matter will now be heard on October 30.

A bench of Justices Rajan Roy and Rajiv Bharti was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) plea filed by advocate Motilal Yadav, seeking the enforcement of the ban on caste-based rallies in the state.

The counsel for the state informed the court that a government order dated September 21 prohibits caste-based political rallies in Uttar Pradesh. However, the bench questioned, "If that is so, what is the difficulty in filing an affidavit?" At the previous hearing, the Election Commission (EC) had said caste-based rallies were prohibited under the Model Code of Conduct. The bench, however, noted that the state had failed to furnish a clear explanation regarding its authority to take action, which annoyed the judges.

While imposing the ban in 2013, the high court had observed that caste-based rallies "divide the society and promote discrimination", calling those a violation of the spirit of the Constitution and fundamental rights. PTI COR CDN RC