Srinagar: The J&K High court on Tuesday warned that judicial action will be taken against persons who are concealing their foreign travel history.
The court said, “Even though they are required to disclose their travel history they are escaping the mandatory quarantine as per media reports. Some of such persons have been found to be infected and huge public resources have been expended on tracking, not only these persons, but their several contacts during the period up to their detection.”
The bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Sindhu Sharma while hearing the matter through video-conferencing directed authorities of the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and of Ladakh to enforce their orders regarding all disclosures including travel history and implement quarantining and isolation stringently.
“All authorities of the Union Territories shall take strict measures to ensure that all requirements are strictly enforced. Violation of any government notification or breach thereof should be strictly punished in accordance with law,” the court directed.
The court also said, “Given the necessity of enforcing social distancing and prevention/ minimisation of close contact between people, in order to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, several steps stand initiated in the courts amongst which conducting of remand work of prisoners through video-conferencing is receiving priority. In view thereof, Chief General Manager, BSNL, shall file updated report by next date of hearing.”
To address problems faced by courts, Juvenile Justice Boards, and Observation Homes in the current crisis, the court directed presence of State Informatics Officer of the NIC, Jammu and Kashmir, on March 30, the next date of hearing.
A Status Report dated 24th March, 2020, from the department of Social Welfare Department was filed before the court mentioning that committees have been constituted at the administrative level and steps taken for regular observation and monitoring of Old Age Homes, Observation Homes, Nari Niketan, Bal Ashram, Orphanages, schools for the blind, and other such institutions during the current crisis.
The court while examining the report said, “As informed in the status report of the Social Welfare Department, urgent steps ought to be taken to obtain protective gear for all the workers who are involved in the various activities of the department.”

NUSRAT SIDIQ