The high court has allowed a BJP rally on Thursday afternoon from Rabindra Sadan to National Library protesting the Bengal government’s decision to sell prime land opposite the Alipore zoo where a quarantine centre for animals was to come up.
Justice Jay Sengupta allowed the BJP to go ahead with its planned rally on Thursday but ruled that no more than 1,000 people could join it.
“The rally will have to be organised between noon and 3pm. Not more than 1,000 people will be allowed to take part in the rally,” Justice Sengupta said.
The order followed a petition by the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, alleging that Kolkata Police had refused permission for his party’s Thursday rally.
This newspaper reported in July 2024 that the state government had decided to sell the property measuring 254 cottah, or 4.2 acre.
It was allotted to the forest department 12 years ago to set up a quarantine centre where animals from other states or countries would be put up before being shifted to the Alipore Zoological Garden.
The counsel appearing for Adhikari, Loknath Chatterjee, told the court that chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced that a shopping mall would come up on the land, which is now in the custody of the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation.
“The chief minister has said a shopping mall will come up there. This piece of land was meant for keeping animals and it should be used for that purpose only,” Chatterjee submitted in the court.
The counsel also said everyone has the fundamental right to protest and the police could not prevent a political party from protesting a decision of the government.
The state counsel, Amitesh Banerjee, opposed the prayer but the court gave the go-ahead to the BJP.
A Mumbai-based real estate giant offered to pay ₹400 crore for a 5.6-acre plot in another part of Alipore, which went for auction in 2022.