Bombay High Court on Friday granted permission for a Muharram procession in the city under stringent restrictions because of the pandemic.

A bench of Justices S.J. Kathawalla and Madhav Jamdar gave permission after the Maharashtra government granted hearing to a local Shia Muslim organisation that had petitioned the court seeking permission for a symbolic procession for Muharram.

The state government and the petitioner, the All India Idaara-e-Tahafuz-e-Hussainiyat, reached an agreement and informed the court on Friday, following which permission was granted.

As per the court’s order, participants will be permitted to bring out the procession on August 30 (Sunday) between 4.30pm and 5.30pm on a pre-determined route only on trucks and not on foot. A maximum of five persons will be allowed on each truck and only five will be permitted to walk with the Tazia symbol for the last 100 metres, the order stated. The five will have to give their home addresses to police beforehand, the court said.

The All India Idaara-e-Tahafuz-e-Hussainiyat had argued that if the state government had permitted Ganesh idol immersions with health safeguards, it must also permit the Muharram procession.