HC to govt: Small traders may have to be considered for paying damages due to bandh
BENGALURU: Observing that small traders and roadside vendors have already been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Karnataka High Court on Friday orally indicated that the loss to be suffered due to the bandh on Saturday may have to be considered for paying damages. Pointing out that the bandh will affect the livelihoods of many, a division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice S Vishwajith Shetty hinted at the possibility of recovering the damages from the concerned to bear the loss to small traders.
Hearing public interest litigations filed by Letzkit Foundation and others, the court directed the State Government to take all possible measures to ensure that mask and social distancing regulations are not violated during the bandh. The bench also directed the government to ask the police department to keep a vigil on violators during the protest and penalise the violators.
The bench said that the state has not taken steps to set criminal laws in motion to prosecute those violating mask and social distance regulations during protests and rallies, which will be major sources of spreading Covid. Also, it has not passed an ordinance to amend the existing penal provision under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act, which only penalises the violators and only collects fines.
Saying that there is no excuse for not to set criminal laws in motion, the bench asked the government to submit on next date of hearing the details of steps taken to penalise violators during the bandh and amount of fine collected.