BJP had proposed to take out 3 rath yatras to be flagged off by party president Amit Shah. (FILE)
The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday asked the West Bengal government to submit the footage of its meeting with the state BJP leaders over the party's proposed rath yatra, permission for which was denied by the administration last week.
The BJP on Monday moved the high court with a fresh plea, challenging the West Bengal government's decision to deny permission to the yatra.
Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty, upon hearing the BJP counsel, directed state counsel Advocate General Kishore Dutta to submit on Wednesday the video recording of the meeting, which was conducted on an earlier direction of the court's division bench.
Earlier, a single-judge bench had refused permission to the BJP to hold the yatra, following which the party had approached the division bench.
The division bench on December 7 asked the West Bengal chief secretary, the home secretary and the director general of police to hold a meeting with three representatives of the BJP and take a decision on the yatra by December 14.
The West Bengal government, after several meetings with the three-member team, refused permission for the yatra on December 15 on grounds that it might lead to communal tension.
Appearing for the BJP, counsel SK Kapoor on Tuesday said that the rath yatra would be a purely political movement, highlighting the lack of democracy in West Bengal and other problems inflicting its people.
Mr Kapoor submitted that the BJP representatives had told the West Bengal government officials that the yatra had no religious connection to it.
He also claimed that the West Bengal government's decision was a biased and pre-determined one.
The court adjourned the hearing on the matter till Wednesday, when it will hear the submission of the West Bengal government.
The BJP had proposed to take out three rath yatras, scheduled to be flagged off by party president Amit Shah, from as many places in West Bengal.
The chariots were meant to travel to all 42 parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal over the next one-and-a-half months.