Lucknow: The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is challenging the Allahabad High Court order dated April 19, imposing complete lockdown in five cities of the state for a week, in the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
The state government had refused to follow the Allahabad High Court saying that it was the responsibility of the government not only to save the lives of the people but their livelihood also. The government claimed that it had taken all necessary measures to control the coronavirus in the state.
Legal experts claim that refusal by the state government to follow the High Court order amounts to contempt. In such a situation, it has no choice but to challenge the HC order in the Supreme Court with a prayer to quash it.
“We are filing a revision petition in the Supreme Court for quashing of the Allahabad High Court’s April 19 order for imposing complete lockdown in five cities for a week,” said a government spokesman.
The main ground for challenging the HC order is that complete lockdown will adversely affect the economy of the state and the livelihood of millions of poor and daily wagers.
The government counsels will also place on record before the apex court steps taken by the state government for effective control of coronavirus and breaking the chain of the second wave.
A two-member bench of the Allahabad High Court comprising Justice Siddharth Varma and Justice Ajit Kumar had directed the state government to impose complete lockdown in Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur for a week, with effect from 10 am on April 19 till April 26 to break the chain of the second wave of coronavirus.
Passing an order on a PIL, the HC had also pulled up the Yogi Adityanath government for not taking effective and timely steps to control the deadly virus from spreading across the state.
