AP Government invokes Epidemic Diseases Act to blunt spread of Covid-19

Amaravati: The State government has enforced the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 to contain the rapidly spreading pandemic COVID19.

The State government announced that it would enforce the Act strictly.

The government sounded high alert and appealed to the people to follow guidelines being issued from time to time by the Medical and Health Department.

This Act empowers the police to register criminal cases against the violators.

Director General of Police Damodar Goutam Sawang said under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 188, 269, 270 and 271, the police would register cases against the violators.

In a statement on Monday, Sawang explained that the IPC Section 188 says that Violation of order promulgated by the government is a cognizable offence.

The IPC Section 269 IPC says that negligently doing any act which is likely to spread infection of any disease dangerous to life is a cognizable offence. For this violation, there is a provision of imprisonment for six months or fine, or both.

Malignantly doing any act which is likely to spread infection of any disease dangerous to life, will have a punishment up to imprisonment for 2 years, or fine, or both under IPC section 270. It is a bailable but cognizable offence.

For disobeying any quarantine rule, the violators will be punished with six months imprisonment or fine or both, under IPC section 271. This is non-cognizable.

The police can arrest the persons without warrant in case of cognizable offences.

In the case of non-cognizable offences, the police can arrest persons with a warrant issued by respective courts.

It is worth mentioning that the Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, at his Sunday's media conference, clearly stated that the State remains under lockdown till March 31 and urged the people to cooperate with the government to prevent the spread of coronavirus.