Kerala road blockade: SC asks Centre to resolve issue

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to resolve the issue arising out of Karnataka putting blockade on the National Highway connecting Mangaluru with Kasargod following the high incidence of COVID-19 patients in Kerala.

A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and Deepak Gupta took note of the assertion on behalf of Kerala that blockade at the interstate border by Karnataka has resulted
in some deaths as ambulances bound for Mangaluru were not being permitted to cross the border.

Kasargod has emerged as the hotspot with over 100 COVID-19 patients, forcing the Karnataka government authorities to block its border linking to Mangaluru. This led Kerala to approach the High Court, which ordered for reopening it.

On Friday, the top court issued notice to Kerala and the Centre on a petition filed by Karnataka against the Kerala High Court's interim order of April 1.

The court decided to put the matter for further consideration on Tuesday, April 7.

After hearing Karnataka's Advocate General Prabhuling Navdagi and senior advocate Jaydeep Gupta on behalf of Kerala through video conferencing, the court favoured for resolving the issue, arising out of Karnataka putting blockade on the national highway at Talapadi.

The court, meanwhile, said that no state should precipitate the matter at this juncture.

The Karnataka government had on Thursday rushed to the top court, saying lifting of blockade on the National Highway linking to Kerala, would lead to "disastrous consequences" and result in "serious outbreak" of COVID-19.

The state government had contended there was an "extreme urgency" to pass the order on March 31 under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, banning all movement of people and goods, including patients in order to prevent any further transmission of COVID-19. It had maintained that the blockade was the "need of the hour since Kasargod in Kerala had turned into a Coronavirus Hotspot having maximum cases of the infection". It further claimed reopening the border would cause serious harm to its people and may cause law and order problem.

Congress leader Mithun M Rai, who fought Lok Sabha polls unsuccessfully from Dakshina Kannada constituency, also filed a special leave petition in the top court through advocate Sanjay M Nuli, against the Kerala High Court's order.

Kerala, for its part, claimed the closure of road had obstructed people to access medical facilities in Mangaluru and even resulted into death of four persons, besides affecting supply of essential goods.