The application of the Ghana Police Service against pressure organisation Arise Ghana over their upcoming two-day rallies scheduled for Tuesday, June 28, to Wednesday, June 29, has been partially allowed by the Criminal Court 4 of the Accra High Court.
ACP Henry Otoo, director of police operations, requested a court order prohibiting the group from demonstrating from 3 pm to 10 pm, citing safety and terrorist concerns.
Edudzi Tameklo, the lead attorney for Conveners of Arise Ghana, said the court that warning had been given to the Police on June 1 but that the Service did not express concern until a few days after the protests.
Former PNC National Chairman Bernard Mornah, a supporter of the organisation, presented a 37-point affidavit in opposition to the police statement, but the main prosecutor, DSP Asare, asked the court to postpone so they could review the document since they had not yet received it.
To give the prosecution time to review and reply to the document, presiding judge Comfort Tasiameh declared a break until 11.30am.
But once the hearing resumed, DSP Asare again asked the court to delay, asking more time to review the paper.
Attorney Tameklo requested the court to reject the adjournment, arguing that to do otherwise would establish a precedent for the Police to adopt this strategy to discourage residents from staging protests.
The demonstrations will take place on both days, according to the ruling of presiding judge Comfort Tasiameh, who also underlined that they will begin at 8 am and stop at 4 pm. In place of their first intended location, the Jubilee House, she said, they should diverge at Obra Spot at Circle, go via Farris o Avenue to TUC, and terminate at Independence Square.
A representative of the President should accept any petition that they wish to have filed.
Bernard Mornah, in response to the decision, pointed out that steps had been taken to uphold the demonstrations' original finish time.