[Covid-19] Allahabad HC Orders Constant Police Surveillance On All Roads To Ensure People Wear Masks [Read Order]

The order has been passed by a Division Bench comprising of Justices Siddhartha Varma and Ajit Kumar to curb a second wave of Covid-19 in the State. It said,

"we find the only way to succeed is to wear masks, which is required to be worn by one and all. In this context, it would be in the fitness of things that every road should have a constant surveillance of the police from at least 07:00 AM to 10:00 PM."

To this end, the Court has instructed:

• For roads which are busy and have a length of 2 km or more, a team of police personnel may be deployed and if it is a 2 km road which is not all that crowded then a minimum 2 police personnel must be deployed so that the constant vigil be kept.
• This much is sure that a surveillance on every road/ lane/ bye-lane and gali has to be maintained.
• The Task Force should be empowered to stop people and ask them to wear masks.
• If any individual misbehaves with the Task Force inappropriately then the Task Force would have enough powers to take appropriate action against that individual.

For now, these plans shall be implemented in the cities of Prayagraj, Kanpur, Varanasi, Agra and Lucknow and thereafter it may be followed in other districts of UP.

Inter alia, the Court issued instructions for:

• Fogging and sanitization
• Removal of encroachment and re-encroachment in Prayagraj
• Identification of vending zones for displaced hawkers
• Parking menace

(Previous orders on these aspects may be accessed Here and Here)

Notably, an intervention application was filed by one Ramanuj Tiwari, urging that the cantonment roads be not closed for the general public. While perusing the same, the Bench remarked,

"Various reasons have been given in support of prohibitory orders for ingress and egress of the common people but they are all such reasons which were there before the lockdown was imposed. Today, the lockdown is over and we have now entered the stage of 'Unlock-5'. The people at large are as much having the threat of the virus as the Cantonment/Army personnel are having."

However, before passing any order on this aspect, the Court has called for copies of the specific directions/orders issued by the Defence Ministry.

Case Title: In-Re Inhuman Condition At Quarantine Centres…

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