Karnataka HC pulls up state govt over Congress' Mekedatu padayatra amid COVID scare

Bengaluru, June 12: Karnataka High Court, hearing a PIL, reprimanded State Govt for not taking action in the matter of violation of COVID norms during Congress' Mekedatu padayatra; asked why the Govt allowed the padayatra.

The court also sent a show-cause notice to KPCC in the matter.

Hearing a petition, the division bench of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Suraj Govindaraj also directed the state government to submit before it on Friday how the permission was granted to the KPCC to hold the rally.

The Bench asked the government what measures were taken to restrain the KPCC from holding the rally. The court directed the Congress to explain whether they were adhering to COVID norms such as wearing face masks, and maintaining social distancing.

The court directed the Congress to explain whether they were adhering to COVID norms such as wearing face masks, and maintaining social distancing.

A FIR has been registered against 40 party leaders including its state President D K Shivakumar and others for taking out the march defying COVID-19 curbs.

The Congress' 10-day long padayatra demanding for implementation of Mekedatu project, to which neighbouring Tamil Nadu is opposed to, continued for the fourth day today for a distance of about 14.3 km from Kanakapura to Chikkenahalli, with participation of hundreds of party workers and supporters.

The padayatra spanning a distance of nearly 139 km is scheduled to conclude at Basavanagudi in Bengaluru on January 19.

Much is at stake for Shivakumar, the man behind this march, as several Congress functionaries believe that it is an attempt by the KPCC chief, ahead of the state elections, to assert his chief ministerial ambitions, for which Siddaramaiah is also a strong contender. The party has seen several incidents of political one-upmanship between the two leaders last year.