Telangana HC questions govt. over ban on New Year parties

Telangana High Court on Thursday questioned the government as to why it has not banned the events on the New Year eve. The court took suo moto cognizance on the news reports regarding the events on New Year and asked the government as to why it has permitted the New Year parties when the health authorities warned the public on the new strain of coronavirus.

The court asked the government what it has meant on allowing the bars and pubs to run late-night and said that states like Rajasthan and Maharashtra banned the year-ending parties. However, the government told the court that it has imposed a ban on the parties.

The court further directed the state government to impose tight security in the view of the celebrations and asked to consider the possibility of imposing section 144 tonight. Meanwhile, it also asked the public to maintain social distancing and use face masks.

The high court also asked the government to submit a detailed report on the New Year celebrations in the state on January 7.