NEW DELHI:
Gujarat HC’s
unconventional order to send people not wearing masks in
public places to provide community service at Covid centres remained in force for less than 24 hours, with
the Supreme Court staying it on Thursday in light of the state government’s
fear that the unusual penalty could cause the disease to spread further and result in numerous legal complications.
A bench of
Justices Ashok Bhushan, R S Reddy and M R Shah stayed the HC’s order.
The violators would face difficulty in providing community service at Covid centres as they were not trained to work in high-risk medical facilities, the state said.
Appearing for the Gujarat government, solicitor general Tushar Mehta said it would be unfair on the part of the Union government to find fault with Gujarat alone as not wearing masks in public places was a genuine issue in most states. “We have a culture of not obeying rules and regulations,” he added.