Kolkata, July 19: The Calcutta High Court on Friday permitted the West Bengal unit of BJP to hold a demonstration in front of the office of private power utility CESC Limited in Central Kolkata as a mark of protest against the recent hike in power tariff by it. 

However, instead of July 22, as originally planned by the BJP, the protest demonstration will have to be staged on July 26 between 2.30 p.m. and 5 p.m., as per the order of the single-judge bench of Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj.

However, the bench said that not more than 1,000 people should assemble at the rally venue on the given date. It also directed the state administration to make adequate police arrangements for the rally.

Incidentally, the Trinamool Congress is supposed to hold its annual Martyr’s Day rally on July 21 at the same venue to pay tributes to the 13 people who were killed during a demonstration held by the West Bengal Youth Congress then led by Mamata Banerjee on July 21, 1993.

On Thursday, state BJP leader Tomoghno Ghosh approached the Calcutta High Court claiming that although the demonstration meeting is in the public interest following the recent hike in tariff by the CESC, which enjoys a monopoly over power distribution in Kolkata, the police are denying permission for the same.

Ghosh's counsel argued on Friday that if the proposed demonstration meeting is denied police permission, all political parties, including the ruling Trinamool, should be barred from holding rallies there.

--IANS