Madhya Pradesh court asked the district magistrate to ensure registration of FIR against Kamal Nath
Cases should be filed against Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath for alleged violation of Covid-19 protocol, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has ordered. The court has asked District Magistrates in Gwalior and Datia to ensure the registration of First Information Reports in the matter.
Advocate General Purshendra Kaurav has been asked to report compliance on the matter on October 23, the next date of hearing.
While issuing this order, a division bench at Gwalior has also asked magistrates of all nine districts within its jurisdiction not to give permission to any candidate or political party for holding public gatherings.
Permission can be given only if the political party or candidate is able to satisfy the magistrate that a virtual election campaign is not possible in the situation and he passes a speaking order, recording reasons why it is satisfactory.
Even in such a case, a gathering can be permitted only after the political party or candidate "deposits money with the District Magistrate which is sufficient to purchase double the number of masks and sanitizers required for protecting and sanitizing the number of persons expected in the congregation," the order read.
In its order, the court also said the candidate has to file an "undertaking on affidavit that he shall be personally liable to distribute masks and sanitizers to all the members of the congregation before the meeting/congregation starts".
A maximum number of 28 seats will be up for by-election in Madhya Pradesh next month. A chunk of seats fell vacant in the state in March as Jyotiraditya Scindia switched camp from the Congress to the BJP with his loyalists.