Draft rules on rallies submitted

Draft rules on rallies submitted
Bangalore, dhns:
City police, in pursuance of the directions by High Court, submitted a draft of of measures to control public meetings in the city, on Wednesday.City Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari submitted the draft of the proposed rules during the hearing of a long-pending petition by A V Amarnathan and others seeking a ban on rallies causing inconvenience to public.

The draft comprises rules, regulations and procedures to be followed while granting permission for public rallies.
The draft, known as Licensing and Controlling of Assemblies and Processions (Bangalore City) order 2008 under Section 31 of Karnataka Police Act, 1963 aims at ensuring smooth flow of traffic during such political rallies.
As per the draft, no procession or public assemblies will be allowed in the City without prior permission. Organisers have to obtain permission from zonal Deputy Commissioner of Police before taking out a procession. If the rally extends beyond a single zone, application should be made to Additional Commissioner of Police, Law and Order.

Procedure

The organisers should get the applications for procession (form no 1) and assembly ( form no 2) by making a payment of Rs 100 in the form of demand draft. The applications undergo several processes and will be cleared within a period of seven days, while in emergency cases, it will be three days.
The authorities will grant permission after they are convinced that the route proposed will not disturb the public or affect the traffic.
The number and type of vehicles to ply on the road during the procession, starting and concluding time of the programme, possibilities of inflammatory speeches and slogans which might annoy the religious, political or social or cultural groups will also be examined. The licensing authority (Deputy Commissioner of Police or Additional Commissioner of Police), if necessary, will visit the venue of the programme or may depute the officers above the rank of Police Inspectors to do so.
The decision to issue or refuse license will rely on the statement of the organisers recorded by the licensing authority of their subordinates above the rank of Police Inspectors. If it is political rally the statement of authorised representatives will be recorded.
Public interest, status and antecedents of the applicants, parking space for vehicles, law and order problem, disturbance to the educational or religious institutes in the vicinity, troubles like resentment amongst the members of the public belonging to any religious, cultural or social groups will also be taken into consideration before granting permission.
License authority will communicate refusal of the permission to the applicant in writing within five days of receiving the application. The license shall be deemed to have been granted if the authority fails to dispose off the application within five days.
The organisers are bound by the rules like providing water to the participants, ensuring electricity safety by ensuring that the installations over there are tested by competent authority and take adequate precautions to prevent fire mishaps. The division bench comprising Justice S R Bannurmath and Justice Venugopal Gowda, which heard the draft adjourned the matter. The bench has invited the suggestions and corrections to the draft during the next date of hearing.