Thursday August 18, 2011 06:10:01 PM, IANS

New Delhi: Social activist Anna Hazare has been given permission to stage a hunger strike till Sep 2 with certain conditions relevant to the venue - the Ramlila ground, Home Secretary R.K. Singh said Thursday.

"I believe the decision is that they have been given permission to the 2nd of September on the usual terms and conditions," Singh told reporters here, adding that the decision was taken after discussions between Delhi Police and Hazare's aides.

Asked if Delhi Police had handled the matter well, particularly with Hazare calling it his victory over the government, the home secretary said it was not a question of victory or defeat.

"If anyone says that this is victory I think that is not a very right way... It is not the question of victory or defeat," he said.

"Basically, the issue is permission for a certain period for a certain ground was given with some conditions and the conditions were relevant to that ground," he added.

Explaining the conditions, he said the police had earlier asked the social activists to have a limited number of people participating in the protests being organised for a stronger bill to set up an independent and powerful anti-graft watchdog.

"The size of the ground (JP Park) mandated a certain size of the crowd. The size of the available parking space mandated certain number of vehicles," Singh said about the earlier venue given to Hazare for his planned protest.

He said the new venue Ramlila Maidan is much larger and there is no need to have a limited number of people. But certain "conditions are there like pertaining to use of loudspeakers", he said.

"Conditions on the use of loudspeakers remains the same which was imposed earlier. The condition that the doctors will examine (fasting Hazare from time to time) also remains the same," he said.

Hazare was set to leave Tihar Jail and hold his planned fast at the Ramlila Maidan in central Delhi, two days after he was jailed and subsequently released Tuesday.

The home secretary said he had "no information" on whether Hazare was moving from the jail to the new venue Thursday or Friday.

Home | Top of the Page

Top Stories

Hazare ready to leave Tihar, hold fast at Ramlila ground

Anna Hazare is set to leave Tihar Jail and hold his fast at the Ramlila ground in central Delhi, his aide Arvind Kejriwal said Thursday, two   »

Anarchy is not the option

Activists divided: For and against Hazare

Hazare's path 'fraught with grave consequences', says PM

  Most Read

Shehla Masood murder: Needle of suspicion points towards IPS officer

The broad day-light murder of Right To Information, (RTI), activist Ms Shehla Masood here in Bhopal in front of her residence on Tuesday morning continues to be  »

A delegation led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan which comprised of Muslim MLAs and community leaders from the state August 17 met Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and Law Minister Salman Khurshid in New Delhi. During the meeting with both the union   »

  News Pick

Inspired by Anna, Pakistani to fast against corruption

Taking a cue from Anna Hazare, a 68-year-old Pakistani businessman is set to go on hunger strike in Islamabad from Sep 12 to declare war on endemic  »

Relatively unnoticed amid the scams and agitations haunting the government, Law Minister Salman Khurshid set a time bomb ticking. Earlier this month, exactly 50 years after the Advocates Act, a bill was placed by the  »

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Thursday quietly arrived in Maval sub-district here in Maharashtra where three farmers were killed in police firing Aug 9, official sources said. With the visit shrouded in  »

Impeachment proceedings began Wednesday against Calcutta High Court Judge Soumitra Sen with Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP Sitaram Yechury moving the motion against him in the Rajya Sabha   »

Picture of the Day

Dignitaries coming out from the Red Fort after Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh addressed to the Nation on the occasion of 65th Independence Day, in Delhi on August 15, 2011.

(Photo: BM Meena)