Lockdown extension ‘unscientific’, says PIL; wants GO quashed

Lockdown extension ‘unscientific’, says PIL; wants GO quashed

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 09.08.2020

Calling the latest extension of lockdown till August 31 ‘unscientific,’ a city resident has moved the Madras high court to quash the government order concerned. He claimed that such unreasonable and unscientific restrictions amounted to violation of fundamental rights for free movement.

The public interest writ petition, filed by G Manoharan, may be taken up for hearing by the court in the third week of August. The petitioner said that while he resided in Chennai his aged parents lived in Kumbakonam, and that he used to visit them at least once a fortnight. However, since the lockdown was imposed in March, he was unable to travel and meet his parents.

The petitioner submitted that the National Disaster Management Authority is the appropriate authority to frame guidelines as per the Disaster Management Act during emergency situations including pandemic. The directions issued by the authority must be followed by all state governments, including the Tamil Nadu government, he said.

This apart, the Medical Experts Committee which has been established to advise the state on the measures to be taken to contain the virus spread has said ‘lockdown is nothing but killing mosquitoes with axe’. “Therefore, curfews on Sundays are an arbitrary exercise of power as it does not serve any purpose. There should have been more compelling circumstances to deny the right guaranteed under Article 21 and the governments ought to have considered sufferings on a comparative scale with that of the corona sufferings,” the petitioner said.