Wholly uncalled for: Supreme Court on Kerala govt`s Bakrid relaxations amid COVID

The apex court also warned that it will take action if the easing of curbs leads to further spread of the virus. `We direct the Kerala government to give heed to the Right to Life enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution,` the SC bench said.

The Supreme Court is unhappy with the Kerala government's decision to relax restriction rules for Bakrid, despite the threat of a third COVID wave looming large over the country. On Tuesday (July 21), the SC termed the relaxations granted by the Kerala government for the Bakrid festival in areas having the highest COVID-19 positivity rate as "wholly uncalled for". The apex court also warned that it will take action if the easing of curbs leads to further spread of the virus.

The SC pulled up the state government for giving in to traders' pressure by granting relaxations ahead of Bakrid and said it disclosed a "sorry state of affairs".

A bench of justices R F Nariman and B R Gavai said that the citizenary of India has been laid bare to the nationwide pandemic by grant of such relaxations by the Kerala government. "We direct the Kerala government to give heed to the Right to Life enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution," the bench said.

The bench was hearing an application which raised the issue of relaxations granted by the Kerala government in view of the Bakrid festival.

It was filed in a matter in which the apex court had last week taken suo motu cognisance of earlier media reports on the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to allow Kanwar Yatra amid the pandemic. 

(With PTI inputs)