Calcutta High Court sets ‘office hour’ curbs for Mamata’s July 21 rally

The Calcutta High Court on Friday (July 18, 2025) directed that all processions heading to the Trinamool Congress’s rally at Central Kolkata’s Dharmatala on July 21 must reach the venue by 8 a.m. or after 11 a.m., to ensure the smooth flow of traffic through Central Kolkata during rush hour.

The single bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh directed that processions will be allowed until 8 a.m. and will be given until 9 a.m. to settle down. 

Processions will be allowed to resume only after 11 a.m. to prevent traffic congestion in Kolkata’s central business district between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., the court said.

“From 9.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m., the police authorities would ensure that there is no traffic congestion through the routes which will lead to the High Court at Calcutta or within a fringe of 5 kilometers where the Offices are situated at the Central Kolkata… Commissioner of Police, Kolkata would ensure that deployment of police force be adequately maintained to ensure smooth traffic movement,” the Court’s July 18 order reads.

The Trinamool Congress has been hosting a massive Martyrs’ Day rally in Central Kolkata on July 21 for the last two decades in remembrance of 13 people killed in a police firing during a protest movement by the West Bengal Youth Congress on 21 July 1993, according to the party’s official website.

Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, on Thursday, in a verbal observation, also urged the Trinamool Congress to choose a different venue for the Martyrs’ Day rally from next year, such as Shahid Minar, the Brigade Parade Ground, or the Salt Lake Stadium. 

The Court was hearing a petition filed by a group of lawyers alleging potential inconvenience to commuters due to the rally, which will be held on a Monday morning this year.