Bengaluru
Taking the government to task, the Karnataka High Court has sought information if the govt will prosecute Bengaluru South MP and national president of BJP Yuva Morcha Tejasvi Surya and other leaders for violating the Covid-19 guidelines of wearing masks in public.
“If the person concerned has paid the fine, they have admitted their violation, therefore the failure of the state to prosecute them has serious consequences. The state must take a call or make a statement on the next date,” the HC bench headed by Justice Vishwajith Shetty and Chief Justice Abhay Oka said, as per Livelaw.
The state govt had confirmed in a submission to the HC on November 7 Tejasvi had paid a Rs250 fine for appearing in a public rally without a mask on September 30. This came after the HC asked the state government if it had levied fines on Tejasvi and other political leaders for violating Covid guidelines.
Under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 2020, persons found violating the rules, orders or regulations can be imprisoned to a minimum 3 months and a fine of not less than Rs50,000 or up to Rs2 lakh.
The court made the observation hearing a petition filed by Bengaluru-based Letzkit Foundation.
