Coronavirus: SC to hear plea for imposition of financial emergency after resumption of normal work

The Supreme Court Wednesday said that a plea seeking imposition of financial emergency in the country, on the ground that economic activities have "come to a standstill" due to the lockdown over coronavirus, would be heard after it resumes normal working.

The apex court, which has restricted its functioning to prevent the spread of coronavirus or COVID-19, had last week issued a circular saying that matters which are extremely urgent in nature would be heard through video-conferencing.

The plea filed by Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC) came up for hearing before a bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and S Abdul Nazeer which said, "List this matter after the normal court working resumes".

During the brief proceedings, advocate Virag Gupta, appearing for CASC, referred to the status report filed in the apex court by the Centre on Tuesday in another matter related to migration of labourers amid 21-day country wide lockdown due to coronavirus.

Gupta, referring to the report, said the Centre had sought a direction to all the states and Union Territories to implement the directives and advisories issued by the central government in "letter and spirit" and the CASC has also made a similar prayer in its plea.

The CASC plea claimed: "Divergence of steps taken by different authorities are causing confusion and lawlessness (which) in no way can be solution to a problem as grave as Covid-19. Due to the lockdown, the economic activities have come to a standstill. Hence, it is most humbly submitted that financial emergency needs to be imposed in the country under Article 360 of the Constitution of India."