Supreme Court to hear plea on COVID-19 protocol violation in Kumbh mela, Assembly elections

New Delhi, May 10: In a recent development, the Supreme Court on Monday will hear a petition seeking immediate action against those who violated COVID-19 protocol in recent months, especially during the large political gatherings and the religious congregation at Kumbh Mela in Haridwar where lakhs of people gathered to take a holy dip in river Ganga.

According to reports, the plea filed by Advocate Pathak sought directions to the authorities to identify the violators of COVID-19 guidelines during the election process and to take appropriate action against them as per the law.

A bench of three judges Justice Dr Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, Justices Nageshwar Rao and Ravindra Bhat, will hear the plea on Monday. Justice Chandrachud will be heading the bench.

It can be seen that India is witnessing the catastrophic surge in daily cases of coronavirus diseases after it successfully brought the trajectory down in September last year. In the second wave of COVID-19, the cases in India have risen to above the 400,000-mark while the number of daily fatalities is also seeing a sharp spike.

Many have blamed the spread of the infection on pilgrims who attended the enormous Kumbh Mela. Hundreds and thousands of people were seen violating physical distancing rules while many failed to wear a face mask while taking a dip.

Rallies organised by politicians in five states and one Union territory that went to the polls last month have also been blamed for spurt in cases amid an already raging pandemic, triggering a boom in covid-19 infection.

On April 27, the vice-president of the Indian Medical Association, Dr Navjot Dahiya, called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "super-spreader" for addressing large political gatherings as part of the election campaign. He also blamed PM Modi for the unprecedented second wave of COVID-19.