'Even Police Personnel Outside Their Police Stations Are Not Wearing Masks': Allahabad HC Expresses Displeasure At Shoddy Implementation Of Its Orders [Read Order]

"In our country, to begin with, we very successfully locked down the country for good three months. While the lockdown was imposed, we found that police was really effective. Today, when social distancing and wearing of masks has to be done in letter and spirit we find that strict enforcement is missing. Quite often, it has been found that even police personnel outside their police stations are not wearing masks," the Bench of Justices Siddhartha Varma and Ajit Kumar observed.

The remarks were made while hearing the suo moto PIL registered by the High Court to address Covid-19 related issues.

On the last hearing, the High Court had ordered that "no person should be seen outside his/ her house without a mask on his/her face and he or she should check that the mask covers both the nose and the mouth."

"No Person Should be Seen Outside his/ her House Without Mask on Face": Orders Allahabad HC Saying 'If Action Not Taken Today, We Won't Be Able To Face Our Progenies'

However, today it observed that the Police personnel themselves were not complying with its directions.

"It is possible that the Task Forces, which have been constituted by the Senior Superintendent of Police and the Superintendent of Police in various districts, might be enforcing social distancing and they might be asking people to wear masks but the usual civil police have not reacted in the manner they ought to have," the Court said.

In this backdrop, a number of suggestions were put forth before the Bench, by the appearing Advocates. The Court has asked the Govt counsel to consider the same by the next date of hearing. The suggestions are listed as below:

• All police personnel and all Government employees should compulsorily wear masks.
• Head of every institution in the State of U.P. should in the morning hours everyday try to sensitize as many people as possible in their departments for wearing of masks and for maintaining of social distancing.
• Every citizen should be given the liberty to ring up at the toll free numbers to inform persons responsible if they see anyone not wearing masks or not maintaining social distancing.
• Police in every district should take rounds without any interval on foot, mount, motorcycles, Jeeps or by any other mode and they should, thus, keep a round the clock vigil just as they used to do when the lockdown was imposed
• Government should stop people from eating on roadside eateries, restaurants, chat-thelas and laithelas. People may be allowed to get their food packed and they take those packets to their homes and have them there but they cannot, without their masks, be allowed to have food, pan or tea in the open.
• Consumption of alcohol, just like hookas, be prohibited outside the Model Wine Shops.

Lastly, the Court has asked the Govt counsel to apprise it as to how clinical trials for Covid vaccine are being proceeded with and as to by when ICMR or the concerned Authorities propose to finally complete the same.

The matter is now listed for hearing on Wednesday, September 30, 2020.

Case Title: In-Re Inhuman Condition At Quarantine Centres & For Providing Better Treatment To Corona Positive

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