The Andhra Pradesh high court on Tuesday permitted the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to organise public meetings in Cuddapah and Kurnool towns on March 18 and 19.

Justice C Y Somayajulu gave the permission on the condition that no law and order problem would be created. The court also asked VHP activists not to carry trishuls.

Meanwhile, the assembly witnessed fireworks in the morning when Speaker K Pratibha Bharati disallowed the adjournment notices given by the Congress and the Communist Party of India-Marxist on the attack on the AP Bhavan in Delhi by Bajrang Dal activists on

Monday and by the Majlis-e-Ittehaadul Muslimeen on the government's “failure to prevent the entry” of VHP leader Pravin Togadia into the state.

Uproarious scenes were witnessed for nearly 30 minutes when the MIM, BJP, Congress and CPI-M members insisted that the adjournment notices given by them should be allowed. The MIM members frequently rushed towards the speaker's podium protesting against the government's handling of the issue.

Normalcy was restored after Home Minister T Devender Goud agreed to make a statement. Goud said that as part of its Ayodhya campaign, the VHP had proposed to organise public meetings in Anantapur, Cuddapah and Kurnool towns.

The sub-divisional police officers concerned had initially allowed the VHP to hold the meetings, but subsequently they withdrew the permission in view of the sensitive law and order situation and the ongoing SSC examinations, which necessitated the imposition of prohibitory orders under section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code.

Goud said that the VHP approached the high court and got permission to hold the meeting at Anantapur on Monday. In the meantime, at 1133 IST, Monday, Togadia was taken into preventive custody at Kodikonda checkpost under section 151 of the CrPC while on his way to Anantapur. At 1545 IST, he was released on bail and later participated in the VHP meeting.

The home minister said that at around 1730 IST on Monday, 50 people trespassed into the premises of the AP Bhavan in New Delhi. The rioters broke gate lights, sentry box, windowpanes, etc. They also damaged two cars and a two-wheeler and manhandled the guard.

The joint commissioner and officer in-charge of the AP Bhavan lodged a complaint at the Tilak Marg Police Station. The police registered a criminal case under sections 452, 147 and 149 of Indian Penal Code and section 3 of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and took up investigation.