PUNE After opposition from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), state home minister Anil Deshmukh said the government will withdraw cases against people booked for violating Covid-induced lockdown norms.
“The state government will withdraw the offences filed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 188 against violators amidst Covid-19 following judicial norms,” tweeted Deshmukh.
Section 188 of the IPC states that any person who disobeys an order given by a public servant will be punished with imprisonment up to one month.
Earlier NCP members met the minister nad submitted an application regarding the same.
“The minister told us that he will consult with the home department on taking back the notices sent to various persons under Section 188 of Indian Penal Code (IPC),” said Pradeep Deshmukh, member of state executive committee of NCP.
Currently, 28,000 residents are under investigation of Pune police for violating Section 188 during the lockdown period curfew following the outbreak of Covid-19.
The offences were lodged mainly during March, April, May and June, when Pune, along with other parts of Maharashtra were under strict lockdown for violating rules such as not wearing masks, stepping out of the home during curfew orders, and keeping shops open beyond deadlines.
The NCP leader in his petition has pointed out that the cases against the violators must be cancelled as they had stepped out to perform their daily chores.
{{/usCountry}}The NCP leader in his petition has pointed out that the cases against the violators must be cancelled as they had stepped out to perform their daily chores.
{{/usCountry}}He said, “This would put a heavy strain on the police machinery. The citizens booked are living under the fear that they will face legal action. However, since the citizens have helped the government in combating Covid-19 crisis, we demand that the notices be cancelled on humanitarian grounds. The minister has sent our request to the secretary and we are sure about positive action in this regard,” he said.
Earlier, Right to Information (RTI) activist Vivek Velankar had criticized the city police for initiating the process to prosecute the citizens and said that the policemen were visiting the address provided by citizens when they were booked under IPC 188 where their address proof and photo identity was being taken.
The visiting policemen have been asking the citizens to remain present in the court for hearing of their respective cases.
Earlier, NCP spokesperson Ankush Kakade had written to the home minister requesting him to ask the Pune police chief not to go ahead with the action.