Sat Jul 19 07:46:26 UTC 2025: **News Article:**
**Kolkata Court Restricts Rally Processions to Ease Traffic Congestion**
**Kolkata, July 19, 2025:** The Calcutta High Court has issued a directive restricting the timing of processions heading to the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) Martyrs’ Day rally in Central Kolkata on July 21. In an order issued Friday, Justice Tirthankar Ghosh mandated that processions must arrive at Dharmatala, the rally venue, either before 8 a.m. or after 11 a.m. The court aims to mitigate traffic congestion in the city’s central business district during peak hours.
The order specifies that processions will be permitted until 8 a.m., with participants given until 9 a.m. to settle in. No processions will be allowed between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Police authorities will be responsible for ensuring smooth traffic flow, especially around the High Court and within a five-kilometer radius of Central Kolkata offices.
The TMC has held the Martyrs’ Day rally annually for the past two decades on July 21 to commemorate the deaths of 13 people in a 1993 police firing during a Youth Congress protest.
Justice Ghosh, in a verbal observation on Thursday, also suggested that the TMC consider alternative venues for future rallies, such as Shahid Minar, Brigade Parade Ground, or Salt Lake Stadium. The court was hearing a petition from a group of lawyers who argued that the Monday morning rally would cause significant inconvenience to commuters.
First Piper 