"Every Political Party Has Celebrated": SC Directs Gujarat Home Secretary To File Affidavit Indicating Compliance With COVID Guidelines
Following the alleged COVID violations on account of the January 14 Makar Sankranti / Uttarayan festivities in the state, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Chief Secretary (Home), Government of Gujarat to file an affidavit indicating compliance with the court's December 3, 2020 order requiring the state to ensure that the guidelines issued by the Union of India as well as the State...
Following the alleged COVID violations on account of the January 14 Makar Sankranti / Uttarayan festivities in the state, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Chief Secretary (Home), Government of Gujarat to file an affidavit indicating compliance with the court's December 3, 2020 order requiring the state to ensure that the guidelines issued by the Union of India as well as the State of Gujarat requiring wearing of masks and keeping social distancing are vigorously implemented.
To contain the spread of COVID19 during the Festival of Uttarayan, the state government had produced before the High Court on January 8, inter alia, the following instructions which it had required to be strictly implemented:
1. No gathering and flying of kites at public places/open grounds/roads are allowed.
2. It is advisable that this time, the Festival of Uttarayan is celebrated in restrictive manner with the close family members only.
3. Without mask nobody is allowed to gather on terrace of building/flat for kite flying. It is also mandatory that they should strictly follow the norm of social distancing and keep arrangement of sanitizers there.
4. No person other than the residents of the flats or society shall be allowed on terraces of building/flat or open grounds in the residential societies.
5. Large gathering of People on terraces of building/flat or open grounds in the residential societies is prohibited.
The state had submitted that the kite flying business in the 2020 Uttarayan festival was of more than Rs.600 Crores and caters to 1,25,000 families and it is
their single crop in a year. It was urged that keeping in mind the interest of the kite flying manufacturing also, the kite flying may be permitted subject to these restrictions.
"Having considered the submissions, we feel that the instructions as placed before us on behalf of the State are reasonable. The State may accordingly issue necessary circulars and orders with an only modification in Clause No.4. It may be added in Clause No.4 that : "In case of breach of any of the conditions, the Secretary / Resident Welfare Association (R.W.A.) of the concerned society would be held responsible and accountable", the High Court had directed on January 8.