Madras High Court Rebukes Tamil Nadu for Denying RSS Marches

The Madras High Court questioned the Tamil Nadu police and state government on October 14, 2026, regarding the repeated denial of permission for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to conduct its annual route marches and public meetings. Justice V. Lakshminarayanan criticized the state for treating citizens as enemies, noting that the RSS is permitted to march in terrorist-infested areas such as Jammu and Kashmir, which makes the restrictions in Tamil Nadu inexplicable.

The legal challenge followed a petition by RSS North Tamil Nadu secretary VG Jagadeesan seeking permission for marches on October 18, October 25, and November 1. Advocate General Vijay Narayan argued that the proposed routes were unsuitable and would cause public inconvenience during the Diwali and Navratri festive season. Justice Lakshminarayanan rejected the argument that the presence of places of worship along a route justifies a denial and observed that the government denies procession requests from various groups, including the Dravidar Kazhagam.

The court suggested that denying permission creates unnecessary publicity for the organization and noted that this dispute persists despite a 2024 judgment intended to establish guidelines to prevent annual litigation. The court directed the petitioner's counsel to coordinate with State Public Prosecutor R. John Sathyan to resolve scheduling and routing issues before reporting back on October 15.