Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday said that a comprehensive legislation would soon be passed to curb processions in densely populated areas and preventing the processionists from making provocative speeches.

While this move is timely and welcome, it would be not be worth the paper the legislation is drafted on if stringent measures to prevent it from being flouted are not included.

To prove a point, recall if you will, the ban on advertising liquor. Have not the ‘creative minds’ both within companies and advertising agencies invented ‘surrogate advertising’ that completely bypasses the ban and cocks a solid snook at legislators?

Its therefore not hard for parties that wear the ‘religious’, ‘secular’ or ‘sectarian’ badge, for instance, to resort, by way of subterfuge, such rallies / processions. Especially under festival days / times.

So a couple of stringent measures which I can think of below. More eminent worthies who actually draft such legislation can, I’m sure, think more comprehensively?

a) For a start, any application for holding rallies / processions to be submitted before a sitting judge of the high court clearly detailing the primary objective. Powers to be vested accordingly to permit / deny holding such rallies in public interest. Applicants to accept denials, if any, without question.
b) Should the application for holding the rally be given, organisers to pay Rs XXX crores as security deposit to cover consequential property damage, loss of life, disruption of business etc should the rally / convention / procession result in violence.
c) A ‘Responsible person’ to be named in the application from within the organisers who will be held responsible for all events that take place during/after the event.
d) The ‘Responsible person’ to be held accountable, particularly, for loss of life. Mandatory life sentencing, particularly.
e) Should rioting, loss of life be directly attributable to the rally / convention / procession etc, then all future applications for rally/convention holding to be denied. Nationwide!

So, should the government be serious with legislation on paper, lets see some teeth in it.

There’s a huge difference between a roar and a meow, is there not?