Prayagraj Hookah bars running in Uttar Pradesh’s restaurants, cafes and other places have been ordered to be closed by the Allahabad High Court due to Corona virus infection. The order was passed by a division bench of Justice Shashikant Gupta and Justice Shamim Ahmed while hearing a PIL on the letter of LLB student Hargovind Pandey of Lucknow University. The court has said that the corona virus is spreading rapidly in the state. The number of corona infections is increasing every day. The High Court has directed the Chief Secretary to prepare a roadmap to prevent its spread and also commented that no help is available without lockdown.
The court has said that despite the lockdown and all the stringent measures, the corona is spreading like wildfire. It poses a threat to the existence of human life. We are standing in the middle of a forest in thick darkness. What will happen tomorrow is not known. If hookah bars are not banned in restaurants and cafes, Corona will take the form of community transition.
The Allahabad High Court has ordered the Chief Secretary not to allow hookah bars to be run in any restaurant and cafe. The court has asked the Chief Secretary to report on compliance of this order till 30 September. The general secretary has been directed to send a copy of the order to the chief secretary and all the district collectors of the state for compliance. The court appointed Advocate Vinayak Mittal as an amicus curiae to stand for the self-styled PIL.
Significantly, Hargovind Dubey, a student of law at Lucknow University, wrote a letter to the High Court, stating that there are a large number of hookah bars in almost every district of the state. There is a possibility of rapid spread of corona virus infection from hookah bar. The court has given this decision after taking cognizance of this letter.
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