Amaravati: Two-year jail for lockdown violators

Amaravati: The AP government on Tuesday announced harsher punishments of up to two years in jail and hefty fines for those violating the conditions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 proclaimed by it in the wake of COVID-19 in the State. A number of violations has come to the fore despite the clamp down and prohibitory orders proclaimed in AP since Sunday last. Joy riding has peaked with people neglecting the law and thereby threatening the lives of people with the spread of the virus in several districts.

Police had to resort to caning in some cases in some districts to show such violators their place. Following these incidents, the State government has empowered the police to apply the provisions of the EDA, 1897 which entail a jail term of two years in addition to heavy fines.

The EDA arms police with IPC Section 270 too that leads to the two year prison term for spreading epidemic diseases deliberately by violating the law.