Buses parked on the Maidan. A Telegraph picture

Any organisation planning to hold a rally on Brigade Parade Ground will have to state in writing to police that it won’t allow participants to cook or park vehicles on the greens.

Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered the police commissioner to ensure that the permission for rally is granted only after the organisers submit the undertaking.

“If any party backs out on the promise, the police chief will not allow it to hold rallies on Brigade Parade Ground again,” the division bench of Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice R.N. Banerjee ruled.

The order followed a petition by environment activist Subhas Dutta, who had alleged that the CPM had violated a high court ruling during its Brigade rally on January 13.

The high court had on September 28 banned open cooking within a 3-km radius of Victoria Memorial and parking of vehicles in the “red zone” around the monument, which includes the Maidan. The ruling aimed at protecting the marble edifice from pollution.

Dutta produced some photographs in the court which showed party activists cooking on chullahs on the Maidan during the rally. Buses and trucks that ferried participants were seen parked on the greens.

Following Dutta’s complaint, the court had asked the police to submit an affidavit stating their stand on the green activist’s charges.

“The police admitted that court orders were violated during the January 13 rally but argued that they could not take any action because the gathering was huge. The court is not accepting the position,” the judges observed.

The police also informed the court that they had taken action against 267 vehicles that were found parked on the Maidan during the rally in violation of the court order.

The court on Wednesday asked the police to file another affidavit stating the status of the case.

State transport minister Subhas Chakraborty reacted sharply to Wednesday’s ruling.

“I will not accept the high court order even if it amounts to contempt of court. If needed, I will go to jail. The high court has infringed on the democratic rights of the citizens. Will the people travel in a palanquin after this order?” Chakraborty asked.