The High Court of J&K Friday passed a slew of directions regarding the measures to be taken by the Government in the battle against the COVID-19 disease and other ancillary matters.
While hearing the Public Interest Litigations PIL No. 4/2020 and PIL No. 5/2020 through video conferencing, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Geeta Mittal and Rajesh Oswal directed that the issue of insufficient testing be urgently examined by the Chief Secretary as well as Secretary, Health and Medical Education.
It was mentioned by Advocate Ateeb Khateeb Kanth one of the Advocates who have filed the PIL No. 4/2020 that as per the report filed by the Health Department, only 157 technicians are available for which reason insufficient sampling is being undertaken and that the Government has admitted that 50,000 travellers have travelled into J&K but only 4000 people have been tested for COVID-19.
Regarding the prisoners of J&K lodged in jails of J&K and other parts of India, the High Court directed the Government to file further report within ten days mentioning the steps taken after the filing of report of DG Prisons dated April 8.
Regarding the impending Darbar Move, various departments including the High Court through its Registrar General have filed their reports as per the directions of the Court dated 10th of April, 2020. As per the reports, extracts of which have been reproduced in the order of the Court itself, expenditure running into several hundred crores of rupees is incurred on each bi-annual Darbar Move. The Court directed Ms Monica Kohli Amicus Curie to examine the reports by next date of hearing which in this particular matter has been fixed on 22-04-2020.
Regarding the welfare of stranded migrant/contract labour, visitors, the Court directed the Divisional Commissioners of Jammu and Srinagar to submit reports with regard to the conditions of the above mentioned categories of persons and the measures which are being undertaken for ensuring needs of these persons.