Delhi HC grants permission to hold Dussehra celebration in DDA parks

The Delhi High Court has granted permission to two Ramleela committees to hold Ramleela and Dussehra celebrations in Delhi Development Authority (DDA) parks in Kirti Nagar and Tri Nagar.
These committees had approached the court seeking directions to the DDA to dispose of their application for permission. The bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma granted permission to the Keshav Ramleela Committee to hold Ramleela and Dussehra celebrations in Maharshi Dayanand Park (Nepal Wala Park) in Tri Nagar from September 24 to October 5, 2022, subject to all conditions and regulations being complied with.
The Court also granted permission to the Astha Ramleela Committee to hold Ramleela and Dussehra celebrations in Hedgewar Park (Tanki wala Park) at Saraswati Garden, Kirti Nagar, from September 24 to October 5, 2022, subject to all conditions and regulations.
The bench also stated that these societies must strictly adhere to all safety and other regulations imposed by the NGT, Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Service, MCD, and other related organizations.
These committees moved petitions through advocate Gagan Gandhi seeking a direction to DDA to dispose of their application for granting permission to hold the Ramleela and Dussehra celebrations.
Advocate Gagan Gandhi submitted that the petitioner societies are registered and have held Ramleela and Dussehra celebrations for a long time. Earlier, the DDA had been granting permission to hold Ramleela and Dussehra celebrations in these parks.
However, this year’s application for the grant of permission for the above purpose on August 25, has not been decided yet, the counsel submitted.
On the other hand, the counsel for DDA submitted that public parks in Delhi cannot be allowed to be used for marriage/commercial purposes.
However, the Court took note of the order of August 22, 2022, which was passed by the DDA in compliance with the decision taken in the meeting held under the Chairmanship of Lt. Governor.