Kashish Jain
The Delhi High Court has rejected a plea to postpone the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) elections because of a surge in the number of COVID-cases.
The Bench observed, “The respondent Delhi government, as well as the Central government, is already taking all steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19, without however restricting day-to-day life any more than necessary.”
The Bench comprised of Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw and Justice Amit Bansal.
It also stated that once it is proved that guidelines for ensuring that the conduction of the election does not lead to the spread of the virus any more than it is already taking place, the Court refuses to interfere.
The Bench stated, “We are confident that not only will Delhi government enforce guidelines already issued to prevent the spread of the virus during the election, but also a body as the DSGMC will take all possible steps to ensure that the conduct of elections is not a source of spread of COVID-19.”
The petition sought to postpone elections because there has been an unprecedented spike in COVID-19 cases with Doctors stating that if the cases continue to rise, Delhi will reach the mark of 15,000 cases per day.
The situation is grim as it is and the petition sought to mitigate any further spread due to an election.
The petitioners have stated that during election rallies, neither the parties, the candidates nor the voters were complying with Covid norms and protective measures.