TVK challenges two provisions of T.N. government’s SOP for political rallies before Madras High Court

Actor-politician C. Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has filed a writ petition successful the Madras High Court challenging 2 provisions of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) notified by the Tamil Nadu authorities connected January 5, 2026, for permitting the behaviour of nationalist meetings, processions, roadshows, demonstrations, protests, cultural/religious events, and different nationalist gatherings attended by implicit 5,000 people.

The enactment has urged the tribunal to quash clauses 6(c) and 8(g)1 of the SOP aft declaring them illegal, arbitrary, unconstitutional, and violative of the principles of earthy justice. They further sought a consequent nonstop to the Home Secretary to reframe and notify a caller SOP successful a fair, uniform, and non-discriminatory mode aft duly considering the objections and suggestions of each stakeholders, including registered governmental parties.

What bash the SOP clauses say?

Clause 6(c) of the SOP states that if much than 1 exertion was received for the aforesaid venue and aforesaid date, the Sub Divisional Police Officer shall see the applications connected a first-come-first-serve ground and that precedence would beryllium fixed to governmental parties recognised by the Election Commission of India implicit different governmental parties/organisations. It further stated that precedence among the recognised governmental parties would beryllium fixed based connected their practice successful the Legislative Assembly.

Since the TVK was lone a registered governmental enactment and not a recognised enactment and was yet to look immoderate predetermination successful bid to person immoderate practice successful the Legislative Assembly, it contended that specified a clause successful the SOP creates an “unconstitutional” classification betwixt recognised and registered governmental parties and thereby discriminates the second successful the substance of granting penchant successful allotment of venues.

The TVK further challenged the validity of clause 8(g)1, which states that the organisers of events, successful which much than 5,000 radical participate, should carnivore afloat work for assemblage safety, regulation, and orderly management. It contended that the inclusion of specified a clause successful the SOP amounted to imposition of disproportionate load connected the organisers.

Filing an affidavit connected behalf of the TVK, its lawman wide caput C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar said: “It shifts halfway State obligations onto governmental parties and operates arsenic a deterrent to governmental participation. This besides amounts to a colourable workout of power, designed to stifle the lawful governmental activities of the petitioner party, successful gross usurpation of Articles 14, 19(1)(a), and 19(1)(b) of the Constitution.”