Indore: High Court says essential items shops should open 5 days a week

Indore: Jabalpur bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court said that shops of essential items should be opened at least five days in a week and directed Indore collector to review his order regarding complete closure and pass necessary corrigendum.

A division bench issued the order on an application filed by advocate Abhinav Malhotra for quashing the order passed by Indore collector for a complete lockdown in the city which stalled supply of all the essential items. The applicant informed the court that Indore collector on May 20 issued orders for complete lockdown in the city till May 29.

“The order stated that grocery stores, daily need shops, fruits and vegetable vendors would also keep their shops closed. This has created huge difficulty for the residents of Indore, as well as the small vendors and shopkeepers having stock of fruits, vegetables and other essential perishable items, would suffer a huge loss.

People at large, who are dependent for their day to day needs on such stalls/shops and many of these fruits and vegetable vendors, who belong to the vulnerable section of the society and are dependent on their daily earnings, would suffer hugely,” the applicant said.

The court said: “In our opinion, the Indore collector should review his order and ensure a just and equitable method of having all grocery shops, daily need shops, fruits and vegetable vendors, open during specified hours for five days a week so that neither the residents of Indore city nor the small vendors face any hardship.” The court ruled, “The Indore collector shall review his order and pass necessary corrigendum in this regard ….”