Photo Credit: AFP

During a hearing of a division bench of the Bombay High Court of Chief Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice Girish Kulkarni on Thursday, the judges expressed displeasure in the manner in which citizens had stopped wearing masks and were turning a deaf ear to appeals on maintaining social distancing.

The bench was hearing a PIL filed by advocate Sneha Marjadi highlighting the shortage of oxygen, Remdesivir, and other essential medical equipment for treating the COVID-19 patients.

“We can see so many people loitering around. Several don’t wear a mask and those wearing a mask push it below their nose,” the CJ noted.

“It’s time citizens follow their duty. They need to keep themselves, as well as those around them safe. They have lowered their guard,” the chief justice observed.

The bench further said that had citizens followed all the safety precautions, then thousands of precious lives would have been saved.