Mumbai court issues summons to senior bureaucrats on complaint over 'discriminatory' Covid-19 restrictions

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A court here on Wednesday issued summons to then Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, former Maharashtra chief secretary Sitaram Kunte and then additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani for alleged "discriminatory" orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A complaint was filed against the three in December 2021 by Ambar Koiri, claiming that their orders imposing various restrictions during the pandemic discriminated between vaccinated and unvaccinated citizens.

On Wednesday, a magistrate's court here issued 'process' (summons) to Kunte, Chahal and Kakani and posted the matter for further hearing on January 11, 2023.

On that date, the three would have to appear before the court personally or through their lawyers.

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The three officers violated the citizens' fundamental rights and committed an offence with their wilful defiance of the guidelines issued by the National Authority under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the complaint alleged.

Their ulterior motive was to give wrongful benefit to vaccine companies, it further claimed.

As even vaccinated persons were also at risk of getting infected and spreading the virus, there was no difference between the vaccinated and unvaccinated persons, it argued.

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