An aggressive second wave of the novel coronavirus has now made its way into India’s Supreme Court, which stands tall in the posh Pragati Maidan area of Delhi. The court had been hosting case hearings and other usual procedures for the past months. Now, however around 50 percent of the total staff there, including judges, lawyers and administration workers, among others, have tested positive for coronavirus, local media reported on Monday, citing sources.
Following the virus outbreak in the building, the Supreme Court has been subject to intensive sanitising.
The news has created a major buzz on social media, as netizens began pointing out that it is the negligence in Indian law and order that is causing cases to escalate on a daily basis.
The accusations against the government and Supreme Court of India come against the backdrop of crowded assembly election campaigning in various states, board exams for high-school students, as well as massive religious gatherings like the "Kumbh Mela" happening around the country despite escalating cases.
In a sane country, SC would hv taken suo motu long back on all election campaigning and all social and religious gatherings. We dont hv a stupid govt but also a mute judiciary
— mansur (@mansur25109205) April 12, 2021
And yet @indSupremeCourt does not suo moto hold the government to account to arrest further spread. I thought RIGHT TO LIFE was enshrined in our constitution. Perhaps for @rashtrapatibhvn @VPSecretariat such a right has been unilaterally foregone in ‘New India’
— Malcolm Lobo (@msjlobo) April 12, 2021
despite social distancing and precautionary measures..what is the guarantee that this will not happen to Class 10 and 12 students in the examination halls
— Hiya Verma (@hiya_ve) April 12, 2021
In Delhi, a total of 10,774 new cases have been reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the total tally to 725,197 along with 48 deaths.
The capital has announced a set of restrictions and guidelines to be followed until at least 30 April. They include allowing only 20 people at funerals, 50 at weddings, and 50 percent occupancy in restaurants and bars, among others.
Delhi chief Arvind Kejriwal will be further reviewing the COVID situation with other leaders later in the day as well.
The global figure of coronavirus cases has surpassed the 135.8 million mark, while the deaths have increased to over 2.9 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University. The US remains to be the worst affected country so far, while India has overtaken Brazil as the second worst-hit country in the world.
