Bombay HC dismisses plea seeking isolation of frontline workers

The Bombay High Court on Friday contended that the people engaged in essential services must be “encouraged to discharge their duty without fear of duress or restraint” rather than being forced to stay away from their residences.

This contention comes after Bombay HC dismissed two public interest litigation filed by a Bharatiya Janata Party member from Panvel, Prashant Thakur and a Vasai resident Charan Bhatt who sought to distance people working in essential services from the city and ask them to reside in distant suburbs in Vasai-Virar. As people working in police, the fire department and health workers pose a high risk of spreading the coronavirus in the city Mumbai, which is already a hotspot for COVID-19, the PIL sought to distance these people from their residences and isolate themselves in the distant suburbs.

However, the HC dismissed the plea stated that if some people, unfortunately, catch the coronavirus while working tirelessly for the greater good of the citizens of Mumbai, there is no ground to ostracize them. The HC also noted that this is a sense of fear that is driving the petitioners to file such pleas further adding that the staffers would take adequate measures to ensure that they safeguard themselves and do not end up infecting their near and dear ones.

Furthermore, the bench passed a verdict over a bunch of Public Interest Litigations filed by multiple individuals and institutions seeking several reliefs for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients, and frontline workers in Maharashtra. While authorizing a slew of directions, the bench directed the Maharashtra government to consider increasing its healthcare budget and expenditure. It also added that the state must give priority to emergencies while admitting patients.

The Public Health Department of the BMC had earlier stated that immediate care is being given to the patients on dialysis and the ones undergoing cancer treatment. The BMC further said that a special facility for COVID-19 positive cancer patients was created in NSCI Dome. Innovative technological interventions such as contactless screening and digital X Rays with AI have been used at this COVID-19 facility.