Chandigarh, March 29, 2020: The Punjab and Haryana High Court Division Bench of Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain today dismissed the Public Interest Litigation filed against the Chandigarh Administration’s order of relaxation in curfew in the city to allow residents to buy essential goods.
The judges made the following observations in their order: “The order was issued in larger public interest. The scope of judicial interference in a policy matter is very limited. The Chandigarh Administration has weighed all the pros and cons before taking the decision. We will not substitute our wisdom for the wisdom of the Administration during this crisis. Maintaining social distance is a sine qua non to control the disease. The Administration may also solicit opinion of the specialists of infectious/communicable diseases, while taking a decision.
Accordingly, the petition is disposed of with an observation that the Administration may lay down the parameters of social distancing at the time of distribution of essential items and also to monitor and regulate the same by taking stringent actions against the violators.”