Why no action taken when Covid cases were rising: HC raps Delhi govt

Pulling up the Delhi govt, a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad asked why it waited till the court intervened to take steps

The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked Delhi’s AAP government if it could explain to those who had lost their near and dear ones to Covid-19 in the last 18 days why the administration did not take steps when cases were spiralling.

Pulling up the Delhi government, a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad asked why it waited till the court intervened to take steps such as reducing the number of people attending weddings to 50.

“You saw from November 1 which way the wind was blowing. The bell should have rung loud and clear when the numbers were spiralling. Why did we have to shake you out of your slumber on November 11? What did you do from November 1 till November 11? Why did you wait 18 days (till November 18) to take a decision. Do you know how many lives were lost during this period? Can you explain it to those who lost their near and dear ones,” the Bench asked.

On implementation of social distancing norms, prevention of spitting and wearing of masks, the court was not satisfied with the monitoring being done by the Delhi government in some districts where Covid-19 numbers were high.

The bench also said the fines being imposed did not appear to be a deterrent. “What kind of monitoring and marshalling are you doing? Look at the situation seriously with a magnifying glass. You have crossed cities like New York and Sao Paolo,” it said.