The Allahabad High Court on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Election Commission (EC) to postpone the upcoming Uttar Pradesh State elections, and ban rallies in view of the rising cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19 in India.
“The state elections are near and political parties are organising rallies in which people in large numbers are gathering and it is not possible to follow the Covid Protocols in such rallies. If not stopped, results will be worse than the second wave.”
Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav.
Justice Yadav praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the campaign to provide free of cost Covid-19 vaccines to people and requested that the rallies should be stopped and gatherings should be avoided in order to avoid further spread of Omicron variant of Covid-19.
Justice Yadav requested the political parties to avoid conducting rallies and to campaign through Doordarshan and the print media.
“Order the political parties to do their campaign and publicity not by mobilising the crowd in the rally and meeting, but through the medium of Doordarshan, newspapers.”
He also requested the Election Commission to consider postponing the elections which are expected to be held in February next year for a couple of months. He also mentioned the right to life under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
“Election rallies and meetings can only take place if there is life, jaan hai to jahan hai( if there is life, there is everything).”
The High Court was dealing with a bail plea and there are still four hundred cases listed before the court apart from the regular cases.
Large number of lawyers are coming to the courts, no social distancing norms are being followed by the advocates and all of them are chatting and talking to each other by standing close to each other even when they know that the Omicron variant of Covid-19 is spreading very quickly and it’s patients are increasing day by day.
“Omicron cases are increasing and there are chances of a third wave also. Therefore, the registrar general of the high court must frame guidelines to face this challenge.”
The Court noted that how the elections of Bengal and UP Panchayat elections contributed to the spread of Covid-19 infection which resulted in the second wave. Covid protocols were not followed, people gathered in huge numbers and political rallies were conducted.