Justice Rajasekhar Mantha of Calcutta High Court on Monday allowed the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, to hold a rally at Nandigram to observe martyrs’ day on Tuesday.

Martyrs’ day is observed by both the Trinamul and the BJP on March 14 in remembrance of the death of 14 villagers in police firing at Nandigram in 2007.

Justice Mantha passed the order on Monday in response to a petition filed by Adhikari. In his petition, Adhikari had sought the court’s intervention as the East Midnapore police had denied permission to the BJP to hold a rally at Nandigram on Tuesday.

Adhikari had sought permission from the police to hold rallies at Adhikari Para, Sonachura, Sahidpur, Gokulpukur areas of Nandigram.

The East Midnapore SPhad reportedly told Adhikarithat since the police had already allowed Trinamul Congress to hold rallies at those spots from 10am on Tuesday it would not be possible to allow the BJP’s event there.

Justice Mantha, however, directed East Midnapore police to allow the BJP to hold its programme at those places from 8am to 10am on March 14. The order also asked the BJP to vacate the area by 10.30am.