Coronavirus: PIL filed before Supreme Court seeking evacuation of protesters from Shaheen Bagh

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking a direction for the immediate evacuation of protesters in Shaheen Bagh and other protest sites in the country, on account of the Coronavirus outbreak..The plea states that the entire population of Delhi is under an emergency situation and is extremely vulnerable to the infectious Coronavirus disease. It is further submitted that all kinds of the crowded public places including Shaheen Bagh serves as a potential transmitter of this deadly virus. In this regard, the petition reads, ."As such, the situation of Shaheen Bagh protest or any other crowded places is potential transmitter of the deadly virus which can be capable of the said deadly virus throughout the city and eventually across the country. Hence, it is urgently needed the respondents may be directed to take appropriate measure to ensure the immediate removal/evacuation/suspension of group of protesters from the place of protest as continuance of such protests and consequently the gatherings over the protest site would be enormously dangerous and contribute to the rapid spread of the deadly outbreak of Covid-19 across the country."PIL filed in Supreme Court .The petition filed by Nand Kishore Garg goes on to state that these protesters have no right to endanger the lives of thousands of innocent people in the name of exercising their fundamental right to protest..Additionally, the plea states that the government had already enforced the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and the Disaster Management Act, 2005 in order to limit the virus outbreak to bare minimum. However, exemption being extended to the protesters at Shaheen Bagh at the cost of lives of thousands of innocent citizens is problematic, the petition points out. .Further, in spite of the various restrictions in place, crowded places such as Shaheen Bagh has been kept beyond the scope of such restrictions, the petition adds. On these grounds, the petition sought for the immediate removal of protesters from Shaheen Bagh. .The petition has been drawn by Shashank Deo Sudhi Associates and Solicitors.