Until Wednesday evening, Delhi had reported 545,787 COVID-19 cases and 8,720 deaths. (File)Amid the the surge in coronavirus cases in the national capital, the Delhi High Court Thursday said the police and other authorities should avoid collecting fines for COVID norms violations in cash, and the Delhi government should create a portal for it.
“In the present day and time, cash transactions need to be avoided and there should be a provision for paying the fines electronically,” the court said.
The court also asked the Delhi government what it had done so far with the huge amounts collected as fines, and suggested they be utilised in the fight against COVID-19.
Until Wednesday evening, Delhi reported 545,787 cases and 8,720 deaths.
Calling the situation alarming, a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad asked the Delhi government about the protocols in place to bring down the number of attendees at weddings to 50. “How are the rules being enforced and what are the protocols in place to implement it, as a lot of weddings are held during this time of the year?” the bench asked.
When the Delhi government submitted that it had increased RT/PCR tests to 40,000 per day, the HC said this happened only after loss of lives and a lot of prodding by the court.
Earlier on Monday, the Delhi High Court declined to entertain a plea seeking directions to the AAP government to immediately place the city under lockdown in view of the rising COVID-19 cases and air pollution levels, saying the petition was “half-baked” and “unnecessary”.