The Supreme Court has asked the central government to file a status report by Tuesday on steps being taken to provide succour to thousands of migrants headed for their native places, saying “this fear and panic is a bigger problem than this virus”.

Monday’s caution from the bench came even as the government maintained there was no question of encouraging migration across the country during the Covid-19 crisis.

The bench of Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and Justice L. Nageswara Rao later adjourned the hearing till Tuesday noon.

The court was hearing through videoconference two separate petitions. Alakh Alok Srivastava, an advocate, and social activist Rashmi Bansal, had sought directives such as adequate transport for the migrants and food, medicine and “other rehabilitation steps for their welfare”.

Solicitor-general Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Centre, said: “Let the message not go that we are trying to smoothen the migration. The migration has to be stopped. The message cannot go out that the Supreme Court is trying to smoothen or help the migration. It has to be stopped.”

The solicitor-general made the remark after Srivastava said there were long queues at inter-state borders and transport services had been withdrawn by various states, leaving the migrants stranded without food, water and other basic necessities.

Chief Justice Bobde agreed with Mehta. “(W)e are not going to add to the confusion by issuing directions which are already being taken care of by the government,” Justice Bobde said.

“… I think the government is taking certain measures. We do not want to complicate things by issuing orders on things the government is already doing.”

Bansal, the other petitioner, said medical and other safety measures were required for these migrant labourers and suggested that sanitisers could be sprinkled on such groups or, if necessary, water cannons be used to disinfect them.

Justice Bobde said the court would wait till tomorrow for the Centre to file its affidavit on the status report before passing any judicial directive.

The petitioner said the government should also be asked to provide midday meals to the migrants and deploy counsellors to advise them against travelling to their native places.

“This fear and panic is a bigger problem than this virus…. Wait for the reply from the Centre,” Justice Bobde said, asking the government to file its status report by Tuesday.

Mehta said the “migration needs to be stopped because if there is transmission of the virus, it will be unstoppable”.

“We are filing a status report by tomorrow,” the solicitor-general said, informing the court that the Centre was actively involved in coordinating with the states on relief and rehab measures.