India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI, APRIL 12—A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Supreme Court, challenging the “inaction of Government of Delhi” in containing the spread of COVID-19, has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the “assembly of people” at Anand Vihar Bus Terminal and at the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz(Headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat) in Nizamuddin.
The plea has been filed by Advocate Supriya Pandita, through her advocates Om Prakash Parihar and Dushyant Tiwari.
The petition has requested the Court to ask the Union government and the Delhi government to show what steps have been taken to contain the spread of the pandemic in Delhi.
The PIL challenges the inaction of the Delhi government “in failing to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the capital” and states that it is due to the negligence of the government that “coronavirus has spread to the rest of the country which is antithesis to Article 21 of the Constitution”.
The petition seeks a CBI probe into the “assembly of people” at Anand Vihar bus terminal and the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz in Nizamuddin.
It alleges that the Centre and the Delhi government had failed to contain the spread of the pandemic as “cases have increased after assembly of people at Anand Vihar Bus Terminal and Markaz in Nizamuddin.”
“On the fourth day of the lockdown, tens of thousands of Migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, who were working in Delhi assembled outside the Anand Vihar Bus Terminal, Delhi elbowing each other to board the first available bus that would take them to their hometown or village, these workers were never stopped by the Commissioner of Delhi Police and no action was taken by the Delhi Government and Delhi transport department in order to stop these workers from coming out of their house.”
While calling for a CBI probe into the gathering of people at the bus terminal, the plea cites a news report quoting BJP leader Kapil Mishra as saying, “government of NCT of Delhi had made announcements in colonies of migrant workers saying that DTC buses would take them to Anand Vihar ISBT terminal and that the govt of Delhi, as per reports, had cut off the electricity and water for the migrant workers asking them to reach UP border where buses would take them home.”
“On March 29, the migrant workers got collected at the Anand Vihar Bus Terminal for the purpose of going back to their respective homes, which clearly shows that the government has failed to control the people from coming out from their respective houses which lead to create overcrowding at the bus station and UP-Delhi border”, the PIL said.
However, the petitioner maintains that the “source of averments made in the petition is personal knowledge and information collected through various sources including newspapers and websites”.
The novel Coronavirus outbreak was detected on March 30 in Delhi Talbighi Jamaat Markaz after over 24 people who attended the Markaz in Nizamuddin tested positive for COVID-19. More than 2,000 delegates from Malaysia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan and other countries took part in the congregation.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind petition
On April 6, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind had moved the Supreme Court claiming that the media has communalised the Nizamuddin Markaz event, where about 2,500 individuals congregated in the midst of the Coronavirus outbreak.
This plea, filed by Advocate Ejaz Maqbool, stated that reports on the Tablighi Jamaat by certain sections of print and electronic media has “demonised the entire Muslim community.”
The Supreme Court is slated to hear Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind petition on April 13.
