Delhi HC rejects plea to postpone Assembly polls, terms it 'frivolous petition'

The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to hear a petition by Congress leader Jagdish Sharma which sought detailed information from the Centre as well as the Delhi government on their plan to deal with the Omicron threat during the third wave.

New Delhi:The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to hear a petition by Congress leader Jagdish Sharma which sought detailed information from the Centre as well as the Delhi government on their plan to deal with the Omicron threat during the third wave. The plea also demanded the postponement of assembly elections in five poll-bound states, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, and Goa.

The bench headed by Justice Vipin Sanghi said that the plea was pointless due to the COVID situation at present being quite stable. "We are dealing with a declining number of cases now, hospital beds are vacant and you are filing this frivolous petition now", the HC observed, berating the petitioner.

The poll-postponement demand was raised by advocate Rudra Vikram Singh, appearing for the petitioner. It also demanded a guideline be implemented to ensure compulsory quarantine for people coming to Delhi from these states.

"Dr. Tedros of the WHO warned that while Omicron does appear to be less severe compared to Delta, especially in those vaccinated, it does not mean it should be categorized as 'mild'," the statement said in support of its argument.

With agency inputs