Calcutta HC...

“The state government wants to block the programme by hook or by crook. Therefore, we have called our rally a Save Democracy rally. We will decide our next step after consulting our lawyers,” added BJP Bengal unit vice-president, Jay Prakash Majumdar.

Majumdar said the party will decide within a day or two whether to go back to the single bench or the Supreme Court.

“There is a distinct apprehension of communal disharmony being triggered in Bengal over the yatra. That’s why the government is fighting it out in the courts,” said Sudip Bandyopadhyay, leader of the Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha.

On Friday morning, BJP leaders said that the yatra would commence after a public meeting at noon at the Rampurhat rail grounds, where BJP president Amit Shah would address the public.

On Thursday, the single bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty criticised the Mamata Banerjee government for rejecting the BJP’S programme “in a whimsical and unreasonable manner”.

The court allowed the yatras subject to a few conditions.

Incidentally, Friday was the last day of Chief Justice Kar Gupta. Senior most Justice Biswanath Somadder will become the acting CJ when the court reopens.

Meanwhile, Singhvi’s court appearance on behalf of the West Bengal police has ruffled feathers within his own party. Singhvi was elected to the Rajya Sabha in