BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday issued notice to political parties over a large number of mask and social distancing regulation violations during rallies and also possible violations during the proposed bandh called on December 5.A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice S Vishwajith Shetty called upon them to file a response by December 2, the next date of hearing, whether they are willing to issue strict instructions to their workers not to violate regulations during the rallies and during the bandh.
The political parties to whom the notices were issued are BJP, CPI (M), Congress, JDS and Kannada Chalavali Vatal Party. The bench directed the PIL petitioner, Letzkit Foundation, to implead the political parties as respondents.On the last date of hearing, as the government had informed the court that its intention was not to punish anyone for violating the regulations under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act and hence it proposed to issue fresh ordinance to amend the regulations, the bench had directed the petitioner to furnish the list of recognised political parties to implead them as respondents and issue notice to them.
Accordingly, the petitioner’s counsel submitted the list while expressing apprehension about violation during the proposed bandh to protest the setting up of Maratha Development Authority by the government.
Then the bench said that there are instances of a large number of violations where rallies are organised by the political parties, as pointed out in the records submitted by the petitioner. Either the state government has taken no action, or to save face has taken action against only a few. It is the responsibility of political parties to issue strict instructions to their workers, the bench observed.