A petition was filed on Monday seeking an urgent intervention from the Supreme Court against the eviction of students by their landlords in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown despite a government order to the contrary.
The plea by advocate Pawan Prakash Pathak said the evictions were violative of a Ministry of Home Affairs order on March 29 that landlords should not collect rent or evict students and labourers for a month in the wake of the virus spread.
“Places like Delhi, Mumbai, Kota City and Chennai have a large population of students. They are comparatively lower in the income scale. With the extension of lockdown till May 3, they are facing problems paying rent as the source of income during this period is nil and savings with their families are minimal. They are dependent on the services of NGOs and government for food,” the petition said.
The plea said various instances had been reported in which landlords were forcing students and labourers to vacate the premises or they were threatened.