Calcutta High Court Moved After Kolkata Police Deny TMC Permission for July 21 Martyrs’ Day Rally

July 13, 2026 : The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), led by Mamata Banerjee, has moved the Calcutta High Court after the Kolkata Police refused permission to hold its annual July 21 Martyrs’ Day rally at its traditional venue near Victoria House in Kolkata’s Esplanade area.

The party has challenged the police decision, which denied permission to both factions of the Trinamool Congress to organise the rally. The police cited prohibitory orders in force under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and expressed concerns that allowing a large public gathering at the venue could affect law and order.

The matter is expected to be heard next week by the single bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya.

The July 21 Martyrs’ Day, or Shahid Diwas, rally is one of the Trinamool Congress’ most important annual political events. It commemorates the deaths of 13 Youth Congress workers who were killed in police firing during a protest in Kolkata on July 21, 1993, when Mamata Banerjee was leading the Youth Congress in West Bengal. Since the TMC came to power in the state in 2011, the party has held the rally almost every year in the Esplanade area, attracting thousands of supporters from across West Bengal.