HC dismisses pleas seeking imposition of strict lockdown in Delhi

New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed as withdrawn two petitions seeking the imposition of a strict lockdown in the national capital in view of the rising number of coronavirus cases.

A division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan refused to entertain the petitions after which the petitioners sought to withdraw them. On one of the petitions, filed by lawyer Anirban Mondal and his staff Pawan Kumar, the petitioner sought to withdraw the petition and did not press for hearing. Another petition, filed by advocate Ankit Verma, was also dismissed.

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Advocate Mridul Chakravarty, appearing for Mondal, said that his representation regarding the issue is pending before the government.

"Delhi with the numbers projected by the government based on a study by experts has the fastest doubling rate at 12 days. Meanwhile, the same in Mumbai is at 24 days now. Lockdown for a limited period would provide the government with breathing space, break the transmission cycle, ramp up facilities," Chakravarty told the court.

Mondal's plea said that Delhi needs to follow the example of Mizoram, which has imposed a strict lockdown for a period of 14 days from June 9, with only 88 reported cases at the time.

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The plea sought the formation of an expert committee, consisting of doctors, medical specialists, leading virologists for preparing a detailed blueprint for controlling and containing the forthcoming situation of the huge spread of the virus.

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The people residing and working in the city are facing an unprecedented and far-reaching dangerous health emergency in the form of a rampant wide-spread of the coronavirus and the spike in the rate of spread of the virus has multiplied manifolds in the past few weeks, it said.

The plea said that the Delhi government's primary focus right now should not be on the monetary or economic aspects but on the health and safety of its people. The plea added that the Delhi government and its administration are dutybound to render all services in the favour of maintaining good health of people within the city, to the best of its capabilities, for achieving the aforesaid sacrosanct noble cause. (ANI)

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