Delhi HC asks Centre to reply on plea challenging ban on passengers travelling from UK, other foreign countries

The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the Centre to file a reply on a plea challenging the ban on passengers travelling from the United Kingdom and other countries due to coronavirus outbreak.

A Division Bench of Justices JR Midha and IS Mehta asked the government and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to file the reply on the plea and listed the matter for further hearing on March 25.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by Ramesh Chander Goyal through his advocates JS Bakshi and Amitesh Singh Bakshi.

In his plea, Goyal has sought quashing of a circular issued by the DGCA on March 16 putting a travel ban in the country. The petitioner told the court that the 'Consolidated Travel Advisory' for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was issued on March 11 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare taking appropriate laudable steps to control coronovirus spread.

The petitioner told the court that his son is undergoing a Master of Science at a University in Scotland, the UK. There are nine other Indian students in the university.Through his petition, he has also sought a court direction to the government to evacuated his son to India forthwith and be granted all the medical facilities, if so requisite. He told the court the government could not let his son die in a foreign country and he should be rescued as earliest as the "condition in the UK is worst than India."

The court said that the government is taking effective measures to control the spreading of coronavirus and asked the Centre to file a reply.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in India has now climbed up to 223, including 32 foreigners, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday. As many as 23 people have been cured of the infection in India.The disease has claimed over 10,000 lives globally.