New Delhi: As farmers have continued to stay put on the Delhi borders for over a week amid talks between their leaders and the Centre, a Delhi resident has moved the Supreme Court to seek their immediate removal as "they are blocking roads to hamper emergency/medical services".
Rishabh Sharma said in his plea through advocate Omprakash Parihar that the removal of the farmers from their protest sites was also necessary in view of the fears of community spread of COVID-19.
The plea cited rapid increase in Covid-19 cases in Delhi, and that the protests were hindering the movement of people frequently travelling to Delhi from different states to get treatment in big government hospitals across the capital.
"That the persons affected by such irresponsible acts of the protestors, and the state not in a position to remove these protestors as they are huge in number and this protest is causing a lot of trouble to the citizens of India, hence the petitioner is filing the present PIL before this court," said the plea.
The plea claimed that more than 3 lakh farmers had gathered on the Delhi borders and protesting against new farm laws, despite government advisory against public gatherings not exceeding 50 people.
The petitioner urged the top court to issue directions for the immediate removal/ dispersal of such mass gatherings of protestors on the Delhi borders and shifting them to the place already allotted by the Delhi Police in view of immediate threat of spread of the coronavirus infection.
"The lives of lakhs of people protesting on the Delhi Borders are at immediate risk since the virus is very contagious and if by chance this disease takes the shape of community spread, it will cause havoc in the country," the plea added.
A similar petition was also filed during the anti-CAA-NRC protest at Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi. In its judgement. Disposing off a batch of petitions, the SC had then said that public places cannot be occupied indefinitely and protests must be allowed only in designated areas.
It will be hence interesting to see what stand the Supreme Court of India takes on this petition.
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