Reply to Covid protocol plea: HC to Centre & EC

NEW DELHI:  Delhi High Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre and Election Commission on a plea seeking to debar campaigners and candidates from campaigning in the Assembly elections for repeatedly violating the mandatory guidelines issued by the poll panel in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh issued notices to the Centre and Election Commission on the petition and asked them to reply to the plea. The court listed the matter for further hearing on April 30.

Advocate Sidhant Kumar, representing the poll panel, raised objection on the maintainability of the petition. The Centre was represented through advocate Anurag Ahluwalia. Advocate Virag Gupta, representing petitioner Vikram Singh, said the EC has mandated that ‘every person shall wear face mask during every election related activity’.