HC calls for mandatory community service
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court on Wednesday ordered the state government to come up with a notification, making it mandatory for those violating the face mask rule to do community service at Covid-19 centres as a punishment in addition to the fine imposed on them.
A division bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice J B Pardiwala said the community service at Covid-19 centres shall be non-medical in nature and shall be for four- six hours for a period of 5 to 15 days, as authorities deem it fit and necessary.
The HC also asked the government to widely publicise this in the media so it could have a “desirable deterrent effect”, noting that a person not wearing a mask is not only putting himself at risk, but putting the community at risk. “Hence, the said violator must extend services to the community which is put at risk,” the court said.
It said the recent spike in Covid-19 cases can largely be attributed to the negligence and recklessness of the public at large in not maintaining the social distancing norms and not diligently and strictly wearing face masks/coverings. “We are of the view that the state must come out with a policy or order directing that all those caught not wearing face cover/ mask shall be listed for community service,” the court said. The order came on a PIL seeking the court’s direction to make community service at Covid-19 centres mandatory for face mask rule violators.
The PIL, filed by advocate Vishal Awtani, said many people were found violating the rule, resulting in a spike in Covid-19 cases.
CHENNAI: The central crime branch (CCB) in Chennai on Wednesday arrested C S Karnan, a former judge of the Madras and Calcutta high courts for passing defamatory remarks against women and several judges of the Supreme Court and high courts in his online videos.
He had first appeared before the CCB on November 26 for an enquiry. The CCB has registered a case against Karnan under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including Section 228 (intentional insult or interruption to public servant sitting in judicial proceeding), Section 509 (word or gesture intended to insult the modesty of any woman) and Section 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot).
A division bench of the
Madras high court is hearing the case against Karnan. The Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have sought criminal action against the former judge. The court, on Monday, had summoned the Chennai city commissioner of police and director general of police to be present for the hearing on December 7.
His interrogation began after the Madras high court directed the director-general of police to supervise the investigation and the city commissioner to monitor the probe into the case.
The court had observed that Karnan’s “repeated utterances would undermine the dignity, reputation, honour and majesty of the Institution.”
Justice Karnan had previously denied any wrongdoing, saying he was just highlighting the upper caste bias in the higher judiciary in the country.