TN notifies SOP for public meets, bins deposit proposal

The state home department has notified a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for regulating public meetings, rallies, processions and demonstrations in Tamil Nadu, in compliance with directions of the Madras High Court and Supreme Court.

- T MURUGANANDHAM @ Chennai

The 56-page comprehensive G.O. on the SOP, dated January 5, applies mainly to large gatherings and prescribes prior permission, advance timelines, venue identification, risk assessment and clear responsibilities for organisers.

One of the key aspects of the SOP is that the state government has decided to give up on the idea of imposing a refundable security deposit to compensate for any damage that may occur during the public meetings.

The security deposit slabs originally proposed were: ₹1 lakh for gatherings of 5,000-10,000 people, which could go up to ₹20 lakh for crowds exceeding 50,000. Since the DMK's allies stoutly opposed this proposal, the government gave up this idea completely.

According to the SOP, organisers are now fully accountable for crowd management, public safety, property damage and law & order issues, while police and district authorities are tasked with regulation, monitoring and enforcement.