PIL accuses govt of taking insufficient measures, seeks SC’s intervention

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 29

Accusing the government of taking insufficient measures to deal with the situation arising out of 21-day lockdown to prevent the Covid spread, a PIL has sought the Supreme Court’s immediate intervention to tackle the crisis.

“Because the respondents (Centre and RBI) have remained ignorant of the situation which has in its eventuality led to the nation standstill and have made the general public lose faith which is also of pertinent importance to be immediately restored for the pandemic to be curtailed effectively,” the petition filed by Sumit Mehta and Vikrant Narulla alleged.

This is the second petition seeking the SC intervention to deal with the situation arising out of the lockdown.

Earlier, a PIL on Friday sought the SC intervention to alleviate the plight of thousands of migrant workers walking back home. Filed by advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, the PIL urged the SC to intervene on the ground that despite sincere efforts on part of the Central and state governments, a large number of stranded migrant workers were headed to their native villages on foot.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde is likely to take up Srivastava’s PIL on Monday.

Alleging that citizens from various backgrounds were facing the wrath of the lockdown without any relief from the government, the second PIL urged the court to direct the government to make basic necessities and medical facilities available to all citizens, irrespective of their financial status. It said mobile vendors must be deployed for each residential area for purposes of delivery of essential items and public gardens and stadiums must be converted into places for food and shelter. The petitioners demanded that Rs 10,000 should be transferred to all income tax groups as a “short-term loan” recoverable in the next financial year and no person shall be terminated from their jobs.