HYDERABAD: Keeping in view the Supreme Court's directions on the prevention of the spread of Covid-19 variant Omicron, the Telangana High Court on Wednesday questioned the state government as to what safety precautions it was taking for the New Year’s eve celebrations.
Justice B Vijaysen Reddy made it clear that all the decisions should be implemented before December 31 and that the government should inform the court of the steps it was taking on Thursday.
The court gave the direction on a petition filed by Jubilee Hills Residents Clean and Green Association, represented by its president Venkata Ramana Suryadevara and two others, that the visitors to the pubs apart from creating nuisance were throwing bottles in the residential areas.
The petitioners further complained that pubs were established in the middle of a residential area. The police have not taken any action despite repeated complaints, they said.
In another case, in the wake of the Telangana government’s decision to allow liquor shops to operate till midnight, and pubs and bars till 1 am on New Year’s eve, lawyer Chikkudu Prabahkar, who is one of the counsels for the Covid-19 related petitions, sought an early hearing on the matter.
A bench of the High Court, comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice N Tukaramji, after considering his plea, decided to hear arguments on Thursday but not before asking him under what provisions of which Acts he was objecting to the government allowing the liquor shops and bars to remain open beyond the regular hours of business. The lawyer then referred to the Epidemic Act, 1897 and the Provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 in the protection of the Right to Life of Public at large.