The first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy offered the direction on a public interest litigation that sought to resume the massive spraying activity by the local bodies, including corporations, municipalities or panchayats, as was done during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

Also, the bench on recording the Advocate General’s submission that the use of material for such spraying and sanitisation is being done as per the World Health Organisation guidelines, said: “The State should ensure sanitising and spraying of disinfectants, to the extent possible and within the existing constraints, to ensure that the airborne virus is kept at somewhat of a check.”

“An advisory in such regard may be issued to all local bodies so that villages and small towns may yet be saved from the large-scale attacks as seen in the urban areas,” the Chief Justice added while issuing notice to the State in this regard.

The Chief Justice through another order directed the Legal Services Authorities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to monitor the condition of hygiene and maintenance of COVID-19 protocol at the correctional homes.

The Chief Justice sought both the Legal Services Authorities to immediately take up the matter with respective DGPs to ensure relaxed rules as had been put in place exactly a year ago.

“The State Legal Services Authority and the Puducherry Legal Services Authority should also monitor the hygiene and COVID protocol and measures to treat patients at all the correctional homes,” the bench insisted.

The bench also sought the Additional Solicitor-General, to look into the possibility of ESI hospitals and units all over the State being equipped with facilities to tackle COVID cases as expeditiously as possible.

Ordering notice to the Centre and State returnable on Monday, the bench refused to consider the plea for converting railway hospitals and port hospitals in the State into COVID units.

“As far as the railway and port hospitals are concerned, since these are meant exclusively for railway and port employees, these may not be appropriated for general use at the moment,” the Chief Justice said while restricting the request to ESI hospitals in State.