Bengal not to move Supreme Court, says immersion will need permits

The West Bengal government on Friday decided not to move the Supreme Court against Calcutta High Court’s stay on the state’s decision to ban immersion on October 1 for Muharram.

TMC MP and lawyer Kalyan Banerjee said he had consulted with senior lawyer Kapil Sibal about the order and maintained that the HC order was in the state’s favour. “It is not an order against the state government... If anything, the state has been empowered,” Banerjee said.

In a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday it was decided that those intending to immerse idols on October 1 would have to get prior police permission, which the police may reject if it felt that there could be a law and order situation.