Even as the two factions of the Sena – Uddhav Thackeray led Sena and Eknath Shinde led Sena on Wednesday were denied permission for use of the Shivaji Park ground in central Mumbai’s Dadar area for Dusshera Celebrations, in a new twist, the Bombay High Court on Friday has granted permission to Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena to hold Dussehra rally, between October 2 and October 6 on a condition to ensure that law and order is maintained during the event.

Earlier, the Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray had moved the Bombay High Court seeking permission to hold its annual Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park in central Mumbai.

Meanwhile, the Shinde faction had last week obtained the nod for holding the rally at the MMRDA ground in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) on the same day, October 5, as an alternative.

After the court’s order, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted, “One party leader, One Shiv Sena, One Shivtirtha. A single Dussehra gathering. On 5th October, the tiger’s roar will be heard..!”

The plea filed by Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena stated that in 1966, when Shiv Sena was formed as a political party, even at that time, a Dussehra rally was held.

In 1989, the party was registered, and even when the issue of Shivaji Park being a recreational ground where such events should not be held was raging, the Bombay High Court had granted the party permission to hold the rally from 2015 to 2019.

The plea further said the party had filed an application seeking permission to hold a Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park after two years of lockdown. However, the party received no reply from the corporation.

News Edit: K.V.Raman