The Delhi Police has issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) allowing the Congress to hold a one-day rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on November 1, a senior police officer said on Saturday.
The clearance paves the way for the party to begin preparations for the rally, which Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced last month as part of the INDIA bloc's campaign against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said the Congress had approached the Delhi Police for the requisite NOC after securing confirmation about the ground's availability from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
"Ramlila Maidan, CBD Ground and Burari Ground have been designated as protest sites. The Congress approached the MCD to check the availability of Ramlila Maidan for its proposed rally," Singh said.
"The MCD informed the party that the ground would be available from October 25 to November 3. After receiving the availability certificate, the Congress approached the Delhi Police. Following discussions with the party's representatives and an assessment of the security requirements, we decided to issue the NOC. The certificate has been issued today," he said.
Singh said the Congress would now submit the certificate to the MCD, the agency that owns the ground, following which the party could begin preparations for the rally.
He added that the ground would remain booked for the period between October 25 and November 3. Other parties or organisers seeking to book the venue can follow the same procedure, he said.
The Delhi Police said it was coordinating with the organisers, traffic police and other concerned agencies to ensure appropriate law-and-order arrangements, effective traffic management and the smooth conduct of the proposed rally.
On September 30, the INDIA bloc finalised a joint action plan over the SIR row, which included rallies and 'Save Democracy' marches. Kharge said all the parties had agreed that elections should be conducted using ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs).
INDIA BLOC PLANS CAMPAIGN AGAINST SIR
Kharge had also announced that the Congress would organise a mega rally in Delhi on November 1.
The INDIA bloc's meeting last month came days after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on record at least 14 times over the preceding 10 months to decisions and orders concerning the SIR. According to the report, the two commissioners said the decisions and orders had been issued without their knowledge or recommendation.
The Election Commission (EC) has faced scrutiny over the objections raised by the two commissioners regarding the SIR process. Responding to the concerns, the poll body said differing views and observations were normal during an institution's deliberations. It maintained that all its orders carried full legal sanction and followed established statutory procedures.
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