GUWAHATI: The Supreme Court has issued directives with regard to the gatherings organised by the political parties in a suo moto Writ Petition, WP (C) No. 7 of 2020.
The political parties have been organizing different meetings and gatherings in a few states where elections are to be held in the coming year. The apex court has given the following directives to be followed by all political parties in this regard.
1. All grounds for public gatherings should have clearly demarcated entry and exit points.
2. The District Election Officer should, in advance, put markers to ensure social distancing norms by the attendees.
3. Nodal District Officer should ensure all Covid-19 related guidelines are adhered to.
4. The number of attendees should not exceed the limit prescribed by the State Disaster Management Authority for public gatherings.
5. The political parties and candidates concerned should ensure that all Covid-19 related requirements like face mask, sanitizers, thermal scanning etc are fulfilled during each of these activities.
The Supreme Court has clearly specified that anybody violating the instructions on Covid-19 measures will be liable to face proceedings as per the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 besides other legal actions.