PIL plea in HC to subject all candidates to COVID-19 test
The Hindu
A public interest litigation petition has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to subject all candidates in the fray for the forthcoming As
A public interest litigation petition has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to subject all candidates in the fray for the forthcoming Assembly election to COVID-19 tests, since they have been going around their constituencies, moving very closely with the general public as part of their campaigns. The petition has been listed for admission before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy on Tuesday. S.P.V. Paul Raj, an advocate from Alangulam in Tenkasi district filed the case fearing that the candidates and their campaigns might end up creating a COVID-19 case cluster if they are allowed to move about freely without being tested for the infection. To buttress his argument, the litigant pointed out that Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) candidates Santhosh Babu and V. Ponraj and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) deputy general secretary L.K. Sudhish and candidate Alagapuram Mohanraj had tested positive for COVID-19 after they began campaigning and had now been quarantined. Since a second wave appeared to have begun, the ECI must subject all candidates compulsorily to testing, he said.More Related News