Following three days of hearings, a Madras High Court ruling dated October 16 cleared the way for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to hold its Path Sanchalan processions at 128 venues spread across Tamil Nadu, with dates set for October 25 and November 1.

Advocate General Vijay Narayan told the court on behalf of the State that Tamil Nadu Police — which had previously sought to confine the marches to 58 venues — was prepared to accept both proposed dates, provided that adjustments recommended by local policing authorities were taken into account.

A directive from Justice V. Lakshminarayanan placed responsibility on the police to work alongside the organisers, with a deadline of Monday, 19 October, for settling on the timing, routes, and venues for the upcoming public meetings.

The bench expressed displeasure at the police returning to the same grounds for withholding permission that had already been dismissed in prior proceedings, with the judge noting that no new basis for the objection had been put forward. Justice Lakshminarayanan noted from the bench that the police had put forward the same grounds for objection that the court had already assessed and found unpersuasive.

A formal request for authorisation to hold the yearly Vijayadashami processions reached the relevant office from the RSS on 3 October. Authorisation for several proposed venues was withheld, with objections raised over proximity to mosques, churches, and statues of rationalist leaders, alongside concerns about traffic flow and the potential for public-order disruptions.

Objections of that kind had already passed through judicial scrutiny in proceedings stretching back to 2022, as the court's review of prior litigation indicated. The court also invoked a 2023 judicial determination that roads open to the public function as non-denominational spaces, available without restriction to every person regardless of their religious affiliation, social background, or community identity.

At Friday's court session, the RSS laid out the specifics of its planned processions — covering intended routes, anticipated attendance figures, the names of organisers, and the locations earmarked for public gatherings. Inclusion of those particulars in the written ruling was mandated by the bench, with the aim of heading off any future disagreements over the matter. Commitments were also made to honour the terms set out through prior court proceedings.

The bench, speaking through Justice Lakshminarayanan, directed police officers to treat permission requests with a presumption in favour of granting them, rather than searching for grounds to turn them down. The RSS also received a directive to lodge any future applications with adequate lead time before the relevant deadlines.