UP govt strikes Supreme Court in opposition to Allahabad HC order imposing lockdown

A day after the Allahabad High Court ordered a weeklong lockdown within the badly hit Prayagraj, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur Nagar and Gorakhpur districts, until April 26, the Uttar Pradesh authorities Tuesday moved Supreme Court in opposition to the order.
The apex court docket has agreed to listen to the matter at present itself.
On Monday, the High Court handed the order saying that the rising Covid circumstances had “virtually incapacitated” the medical infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh.
Hearing a PIL on the “inhuman” situation at quarantine centres and the state of Covid therapy, a Division Bench of Justices Ajit Kumar and Siddhartha Varma stated that whereas ordering a lockdown was the federal government’s prerogative, it was upset by the measures taken since its final order, calling them an “eyewash”.
“Economy, economy and economy is the only tune the government is all the time harping upon. But bread and butter if you take to a person who needs oxygen and medication, it will be of no use to him. You may have grocery shops full of eatables and industries which produce bikes and cars, but all this won’t be of any use if your medical shops run out of stocks of lifesaving drugs… It is a shame that while the government knew of the magnitude of the second wave, it never planned things,” the court docket had stated.
The UP authorities, nevertheless, refused to observe the Allahabad HC order. Additional Chief Secretary (Information) Navneet Sahgal Monday stated the federal government would impose additional restrictions, however that other than saving lives, it needed to additionally consider livelihoods.
In an announcement, the federal government repeated the lives and livelihoods arguments, including that it had already taken a number of measures to cease the unfold, resembling containment zones, evening curfews, Sunday bandh, and limits on gatherings. The steps will assist cease the unfold and it was not desirous about a whole lockdown as of now, the federal government stated.

On April 13, the excessive court docket had requested the state authorities to look into the viability of a whole lockdown in districts the place the Covid-19 scenario was alarming.