Letter to HC for urgent measures to contain, prevent spread of coronavirus in Delhi courts

A letter petition has been sent to the Delhi High Court seeking urgent measures to contain or prevent the spread of coronavirus on its premises and all the district courts in the national capital.

The letter, by an advocate, said the COVID-19 virus is highly contagious and has the capacity to infect more than one person at a time with no vaccine available. If it spreads to the courts then "justice system for the common man would go out of bounds in actual".

"That further, as understood, prevention is the best cure available before the virus contracts an individual and post contraction thereof, isolation/quarantine under medical supervision is the only hope," the letter by advocate Mohit Kumar Gupta states.

Some of the preventive measures suggested in the letter, addressed to Registrar General of the High Court, include a complete embargo on litigants' entry into courts except in special circumstances, restricted entry into court premises and lawyers chambers, easy availability of hand sanitisers and use of masks by security and court staff.

Gupta also urged the court to order the constitution of a team of medical/health care experts from AIIMS and/or other medical institutions located in Delhi, "to undertake pre-assessment of prevailing conditions in court premises, suggest preventive measures and undertake remedial measures, if any".

The lawyer has also suggested appointment of nodal officers to "assist and undertake evacuation measures" in case of virus detection as well as installation of devices like infrared thermal scanners at entry/exit points of the court.

It has also sought directions, to the Delhi government to notify preventive apparatus/items, like N95/R95 face masks and alcohol based hand sanitisers as essential commodities under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 to ensure their free and fair availability and distribution, to the public at large.