Police deny permission to Palm Sunday event citing security reasons; 'shocking', says Catholic body
New Delhi (PTI): A Catholic body said it was denied permission for the Annual Way of the Cross procession, a key religious event observed by the Christian community on Palm Sunday, in the national capital, and condemned it as "shocking and unfair".
Sources in the Delhi Police said the permission was denied as it was a "non-traditional procession", and added that police can deny such permissions due to "security concerns".
"There are rules on traditional processions and non-traditional processions. The (Palm Sunday) procession falls under non-traditional procession due to which the request was denied. Usually, we deny many requests from all communities for non-traditional processions," the source said.
Union minister George Kurian said the permission for the procession was denied due to "security reasons" and noted that even Hanuman Jayanti procession, which was scheduled for Saturday, was not granted approval.
"All processions of this nature have been restricted," added Kurian, the Minister of State for Minority Affairs.
The denial of permission for the Palm Sunday by the police drew criticism from leaders of opposition parties Congress and CPI(M). Palm Sunday marks the Sunday before Easter, which will be held on April 20.
In a statement, the Catholic Association of the Archdiocese of Delhi (CAAD) said, "This is deeply shocking and unfair. The procession has always been peaceful and well-coordinated with authorities. The reason cited -- law and order and traffic -- doesn't hold when others get approvals for similar events."
Held annually from St Mary's Church to Sacred Heart Cathedral, the procession commemorates the Passion of Jesus Christ and attracts thousands of faithful, said AC Michael, President of CAAD.
Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan said the Delhi Police's decision to deny permission for the 'Kuruthola Pradakshinam' (Palm Sunday procession) at the Sacred Heart Church, Delhi was condemnable.
He said this was a violation of the constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and secular values. Such actions, which undermine the religious beliefs of minorities, are not in line with a pluralistic society, the Kerala CM said.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and said the move amounted to a "serious attack on the religious freedom" and "selective targeting" to silence minority voices.
"The Sacred Heart Cathedral in Delhi had been carrying out this peaceful religious procession for the last 15 years and, therefore, denying permission without concrete reasons raises questions about the government's commitment to upholding the fundamental right to practice and profess one's religion freely," he said in the letter.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
