Plea In Delhi High Court Seeking Compulsory Home Quarantine For Persons Who Campaigned In WB Elections, FIRs Against Star Campaigners

A plea has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking directions on Union of India and Election Commission of India to ensure compulsory home quarantine for persons who campaigned in the West Bengal Assembly Elections in the last one week. The plea also seeks directions on Election Commission of India to register FIRs against all all-star campaigners and leaders of all political parties who openly violated masking and social distancing guidelines.

The Application has been moved in a plea filed by Dr. Vikram Singh, former DGP and Chairman of Think Tank,Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC) seeking debarment of candidates Violating covid norms issued by the Election Commission.

Highlighting that a Tsunami of Coronavirus cases and largescale deaths have occurred due to such violations by political parties, the plea states that the accountability of spread of Covid-19 lies directly on the Election Commission, Ministry of Home Affairs and all political parties as they did not effectively comply with rules, when it mattered the most.

"That the result of the unhindered and uncared for all out campaigning has been the rise in Covid cases. Reportedly, every second person in Kolkata is testing positive for Covid. The positivity rate in West Bengal has gone up from 5% to 24%." The plea reads.

Referring to a recent decision taken by the Delhi Government directing Delhi residents visiting Kumbh Mela to compulsorily undergo home quarantine, the plea reads thus:

"That the lackadaisical action of Election Commission in implementing its own guidelines and cancellation of permission given for roadshows and rallies is evident from the number of campaigners catching Covid. Whatsoever little action that the Commission is now taking is only under huge public pressure and amounts to only lip service."

The plea seeks the following prayers:

- Direct Respondents to ensure compulsory home quarantine of persons who campaigned in the last one week of Assembly Elections in West Bengal.

- Direct seizure of all electronic evidence with Election Commission w.r.t. rallies and road shows conducted by political parties.

- Direct the Election Commission to recover the penalty from all political parties on the basis of number of crowd claimed to be in roadshows and rallies, which was in violation of Covid Guidelines of Election Commission.

- Direct the Election Commission to lodge FIRs against all-star campaigners and leaders of all political parties who openly violated masking and social distancing guidelines of Election Commission.

- Direct prosecution of officials of Election Commission who failed to enforce their own mandatory Covid guidelines despite legal representation of the Petitioner.