In its observations on the duties of citizens during these testing times, the Bombay High Court on Friday said the nation expects `seva’ from each of its citizens.
"If indeed tears and sufferings are to be wiped from those who are ailing of COVID-19 and related matters, the nation expects service, i.e. ‘seva’, from each one of its citizens. It does not take much to serve," Chief Justice Dipankar Datta observed.
"COVID-19 has, in fair measure, shown us its calamitous affect on human health ~ physical and mental. Not only has it posed a grave threat to human life, it has also made imprisonment for all and sundry intelligible by forcing people to stay indoors and abide by social distancing norms," a bench of CJ Datta and Justice Amjad Sayed observed.
The bench further said that the virus has come to stay and that it is time to rethink about each individual’s own lifestyle.
"While the pandemic has shown the fragility of human life, it is high time to rouse the greater self in all to put up a strong fight shedding fears, and the easiest way to get rid of the situation as well as the fears is to inculcate the desire and habit of helping others. By maintaining proper hygiene, proper protection and social distancing, each one of the citizens can contribute to fewer people contracting the infection," the bench remarked.
"Social distancing is non-negotiable and has to be practiced, no matter what the inconveniences are. Positive thinking and helping others, as much as one can and as much means permit, could light up lives even during these depressing times," the judges added.
The bench further said that citizens must live and let live others, with dignity. It further said that the state authorities must make an appeal to the citizens to maintain the social distancing and other norms diligently and to refrain from venturing outdoors unless absolutely necessary on the pretext that the lockdown norms have been eased, and thereby allow the benefits of the long unprecedented lockdown to be washed away by acts of indiscretion.