HC wants reply on plea against lockdown restrictions in Nagpur

Nagpur, May 6 () The Bombay High Court has directedthe Union government, Maharashtra government and the civicbody to respond to a petition against the lockdownrestrictions in Nagpur city.

Justice A S Kilor passed the order after a lateevening hearing on Tuesday on the petition filed by advocatesPrakash Jaiswal, Kishore Lambat, Kamal Satuja, Manoj Sable andShreerang Bhandarkar.

The petition challenged a notification issued by theNagpur Municipal Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe on Sunday,informing that the restrictions which were in place till May 3will continue during the extended lockdown till May 17.

The court sought affidavits in reply from the Center,state and the NMC and adjourned the hearing to May 8.

The petition said that the Union government on May 2issued guidelines under which all the districts were dividedinto red, orange and green zones depending on the severity ofcoronavirus spread, prescribing varying restrictions in eachzone.

The Maharashtra government also issued guidelines,allowing stand-alone shops, liquor outlets and private officesto reopen in non-containment zones. This relaxation wasextended to shops in the red zone too, said the plea.

Though Nagpur is in the red zone, the central andstate-level guidelines permitted liquor shops and stand-aloneshops to open and private offices to function with 33 per centstrength, the petition said.

"However, on the same day, the Nagpur civic bodythrough its commissioner altered the guidelines issued by theUnion government on the ground that considering the number ofCOVID-19 positive cases in Nagpur, it was necessary toimplementeven more strict measures during the lockdown periodtill May 17," it said.

The "revised" lockdown in Nagpur is on par with thelockdown imposed in Mumbai, Pune and Malegaon (in Nashikdistrict), the plea said.

"The notification issued by the Nagpur civic body isabuse of power and passed without any authority under law, andis illegal, arbitrary, unreasonable and perverse, whichdeserves to be quashed," the petition said. CLS SPKRK KRK