Bombay HC dismisses plea seeking door-to-door screening to stop spread of Covid-19

A two-member division bench of the HC, comprising Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice A A Sayed, dismissed the plea, citing practical constraints to carry out the mammoth exercise, as Mumbai’s population is estimated to be above 1.84 crores.

The Bombay high court (HC) on Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by a right to information (RTI) activist, Anil Galgali, seeking directions to the state government authorities to conduct a door-to-door screening to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in Mumbai.

The HC bench acceded to the state government’s argument and dismissed Galgali’s plea.

A two-member division bench of the HC, comprising Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice A A Sayed, dismissed the plea, citing practical constraints to carry out the mammoth exercise, as Mumbai’s population is estimated to be above 1.84 crores.

Galgali, who had filed the plea through advocates Arvind Tiwari, Devendra Shah, and Atal Bihari Dubey, had cited the successful implementation of a similar drive in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district and Mumbai’s Worli Koliwada.

The state government opposed the plea and argued that the population of Bhilwara and Mumbai are incomparable.

The HC bench acceded to the state government’s argument and dismissed Galgali’s plea.