COURT STOPS C.J.A.

AN Accra Fast Track High Court yesterday restrained the Committee for Joint Action (CJA) from going on any procession between March 5 to March 15.

This means that the intended street procession planned by the CJA for March 6, to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Ghana’s independence cannot be held anytime between March 5 and 15, both days inclusive.

The court’s order is in response to an ex-parte application by the Inspector General of Police seeking to restrain the CJA from organising the procession on Independence day.

The court, presided over by Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie of the Court of Appeal, ordered: 'The Committee for Joint Action or any organisation, by themselves, their agents, and/or servants are hereby restrained from going on any procession peaceful or otherwise on the 6th of March or any other day, within 10 days of the 5th March, i.e. from 5th March to and including 15th of March to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ghana’s independence.'

Moving the application, K.K. Amoah, Assistant Commissioner of Police, who represented the Police Service, said the intended ‘People’s Jubilee Procession’ by the CJA on March 6, would cause an inconvenience to the police administration and an irreparable damage to the state.

'The CJA have refused the request by the police to postpone this event and are bent on going on the procession but the strength and capacity of the police have been stretched to the maximum limit due to the impending anniversary and we cannot provide adequate security for them.'

Counsel said should the procession be allowed, it could create disorder and confusion since intelligence report indicated that other groups had threatened to confront