The Calcutta High Court on Friday expressed concern over the laxity of political parties towards Covid-19 safety protocols in their campaigns for the ongoing Bengal polls, directing the Election Commission of India to take “hard” measures for the safety of citizens for the four phases that remain.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice T.B.N. Radhakrishnan and Justice Arijit Banerjee issued the order on Friday, following a petition that alleged mass gatherings in poll meetings convened by the parties were responsible for the sharp rise in Covid-19 numbers in the state.
“We have noticed that norms laid down to check Covid-19 were not being followed in the political rallies. The numbers of the Covid-positive have reached a peak,” said Chief Justice Radhakrishnan.
“At this time, maintaining social distance, use of masks and sanitisers are a must. But nobody is following the norms. The EC should be more alert and take hard steps to make the final four phases of the polls safe,” he added.
The lawyer appearing for the EC assured the high court that an all-party meeting had been convened to discuss the issue and pursue necessary action.
Chief Justice Radhakrishnan said the EC should try hard to convince the political parties to go for virtual campaigning. “They may also book time on television channels for campaigning,” he said.
Later in the day, the BJP firmly opposed the idea. Sources said the EC was unlikely to change plans drastically for the rest four phases.
The bench fixed April 19 for the next hearing of the case when the EC would inform the court about the outcome of the all-party meeting.
When the polls were announced on February 26, Bengal had 3,343 active Covid-19 cases. As of Thursday’s figures — Friday’s bulletin was yet to be issued when the development took place in court — there were 36,981 active cases, a 10-fold increase. The day’s number of new infections is close to 7,000, compared to 200-odd in February.
In 48 days between February 26 and Thursday, Bengal recorded over 62,000 new infections, outweighing the 28,000-odd recoveries. There have been 217 deaths of people who tested Covid-positive in that period.
In these 48 days, the recovery rate fell from 97.63 to 92.55 per cent.
