COVID: Karnataka High Court issues notice to Congress for conducting 'Mekedatu padayatra', seeks reply on Jan 14.
A notice has been issued to Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) by the High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday (January 12) for conducting 'Mekedatu padayatra' amid COVID-19 fear situation in the state.
KPCC will have to inform the Court, as to whether it has taken any due permission to hold the 10 days 'Padayatra' demanding implementation of the Mekedatu project across the Cauvery river.
The next hearing on this matter will take place on January 14 (Friday).
A division bench of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Suraj Govindaraj while hearing a Public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Nagendra Prasad, has directed the political party to also inform whether in the said rally they are taking all appropriate steps to ensure the compliance of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) issued by the state government and what measures are being taken by them to adhere to the SOP and in case of violation of the SOP what action do they propose to take.
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Also, the division bench was equally upset on the state government (BJP) and directed them to submit their reply before the court on January 14, as to how and why the rallies particularly the rally held by KPCC is being permitted to continue and why no appropriate action has been taken by the state authorities to restrain the 6 respondent, from any such activities.
Meanwhile, FIRs have been registered against nearly 63 Congress leaders and others for taking part in the 'padayatra', official sources said.
According to sources, FIR has been registered against Congress' state president DK Shivakumar, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the State Assembly Siddaramaiah, Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh at Sathanur police station for defying restrictions on Sunday (January 9).
Several other prominent party leaders including former Union Minister Veerappa Moily, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Former Deputy CM G Parameshwara; also film personalities like- actor Duniya Vijay, actor and music director Sadhu Kokila- who participated in the padayatra's inaugural, have been named in the FIR.
Sources said, the cases have been registered for violation of COVID rules and prohibitory orders, under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act and sections of IPC.
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