Delhi HC slaps Rs 20,000 fine on student who challenged lifting of lockdown

The Centre, after four phases of lockdown adding up to more than two months, had announced staggered reopening of economic activity in a bid to save livelihoods.

The Delhi High Court on Friday imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on a petitioner who had challenged the Centre’s decision to relax the nationwide lockdown from June 1, saying that the decision of re-opening had been ordered in a phased manner and was not one that appeared to have been taken in haste.

The high court said the reopening was done to ensure a proper balance between containing the spread of the infectious Covid-19 disease and ensuring that people were not forced to starve.(MINT PHOTO.)

The high court said the reopening was done to ensure a proper balance between containing the spread of the infectious Covid-19 disease and ensuring that people were not forced to starve.

The Centre, after four phases of lockdown adding up to more than two months, had announced staggered reopening of economic activity in a bid to save livelihoods.

The Delhi high court’s order came while dismissing with a penalty of Rs 20,000 a public interest litigation (PIL) by a law student challenging the May 30 order of the Centre by which the lockdown was extended only in containment zones which had a high concentration of coronavirus positive patients.

The reopening of economic activity, shops, markets, sports stadiums and the like was done in a phased manner only outside containment zones. Inter-state travel too had been permitted in a phased manner by the Union government.

A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramanium Prasad said the government is expected to remain cognizant of the situation and evaluate it closely and if it is found that the rate of coronavirus infection is going up, they can always review their decision and impose curbs, depending upon the prevalent situation.

The petition had sought imposition of a lockdown on grounds that during the earlier lockdown period, the doubling rate of Covid-19 cases was low. The plea said by allowing the movement of people and economic activities in the country, “The spread of the virus has severely spiked, resulting in a sharp rise in the number of daily cases.”