From the year 2020 to the 21st, the entire world saw the terrible shape of the Korana epidemic. Seeing his seriousness, every country had to make strict rules and regulations. Provision was also made for the punishment and fine of those who did not obey them. Similarly, during the peak of the Kovid epidemic, strict rules were put in place in India during the lockdown and action was taken for non-compliance as well.
A study by the Vidhi Center for Legal Policy, a policy think tank, revealed that during this period, more than 54,000 people were arrested in the country’s capital, Delhi, for failing to follow Covid regulations in one year. Not only that, FIR was also registered against more than 23 thousand people.
23,094 FIR registered in confinement
Recently, in view of the Corona ravages in China, the Ministry of Health of the Government of India has issued special guidelines. Similar guidelines were also issued during the lockdown in India in recent years during the Korana epidemic. According to a study by the Vidhi Center for Legal Policy, a policy think tank, many people had to face FIRs and arrests for violating Covid regulations during the lockdown.
Within a year, punitive measures were taken against many people in the capital Delhi for disobeying the Covid rules. Law enforcement agencies took action against these people under the Epidemic Diseases Act (ED Act) 1897, the Disaster Management (DM) Act 2005 and the penal provisions of the Indian Penal Code ( CPI).
A total of 23,094 First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed between March 2020 and March 2022 in seven districts of Delhi, according to a recent study by the Vidhi Center for Legal Policy, a policy think tank. These FIRs were registered for violating the rules and instructions related to Covid. Most of the FIRs were booked for not wearing masks.
According to the report, 54,919 people were also arrested during such violations. However, courts dealing with such cases have ordered different punishments for similar violations. When one court imposed a fine of Rs 4,400 for not wearing a mask, the other ordered a fine of just Rs 50. Significantly, to prevent Kovid infection, the Government of India imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 24, 2020.
90 crore fine for breaking covid rules
Law enforcement agencies were armed with the Epidemic Diseases Act (ED Act) 1897, the Disaster Management (DM) Act 2005 and the penal provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to enforce strictly blocking. Vidhi Center for Legal Policy had studied how these agencies implemented criminal provisions and how effective they were. This study was based on the implementation of Kovid-19 related regulations in Delhi.
Through this, the FIRs registered during the Kovid epidemic, the role of the police and the courts in the implementation of the Kovid-19 standards were understood. The aim of this study was to understand the use of criminal laws to enforce COVID-19 prevention measures in Delhi. In this, it was seen if prohibiting people through criminal laws changes their public behavior. They are ready to behave correctly.
The report, in the ‘Lest We Forget’ series, noted that the government had set a daily target for fines of up to Rs 2,000. In this, the government had emphasized dealing with the disease through punishment. As a result, in 8 or 9 districts of Delhi, police and other officials collected more than Rs 90 crore as fine from people who violated the Covid rules. Of the 110 cases studied, the defendants were found guilty in 106 cases. In 102 cases, the culprits were convicted. At the same time, no one was punished without any crime.
Situation like lockdown not yet
The Omicron BF.7 variant of the corona virus responsible for the surge in corona cases in China had entered India in October. So far, 3 cases have been reported in the country. In view of the Kovid situation in the neighboring country of China, the Union Health Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, has given instructions on Wednesday, December 21, to be vigilant and take precautions. He also said that the country is ready to face any kind of situation.
On the part of the Ministry of Health, all the provinces of the country have been requested to send samples of positive cases of Kovid to the genome sequencing laboratories as a priority. There are instructions to states and union territories to take special precautions. The Union Ministry of Health and the Indian Genomics Consortium SARS-CoV-2-INSACOG are monitoring corona cases in the country.
The Ministry of Health has increased surveillance at all national and international airports in the country. Instructions have also been issued to strictly control people entering the country from abroad and provide all kinds of facilities for the identification of new variants. A special protocol has been prepared for Indians going abroad on their New Year’s return to the country. With this, the samples can be immediately sent for genome sequencing as soon as corona symptoms are found in these people.
Amid all this, former All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Randeep Guleria told PTI that there has been no increase in Kovid cases in India and the situation in India is still good.
[ad_2]