COVID-19: Measures and Mantras.

Aarogya Setu: Multilingual Mobile App.

• Object: alert a person wherever he comes close to COVID-19 infected person within a distance of 6 feet.
• Developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC) under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• It is a tracking app available on Google Play Store.
• It helps tracking coronavirus infection by using Smartphones GPS and Bluetooth system.
• App has access to government's database of known cases.
• Data of the person will be shared only with the government and not with 3rd parties.

Corona Kavach 

• An app to  map location of a COVID-19 positive patient through GPS.
• Alerts a person if he has crossed a Corona Positive patient.
• Jointly developed by MeitY and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

PM Modi's 7- point Mantras during lockdown extension.

1. Take care of the family members who have history of health issues and elderly.
2. Lock-down and social distancing must be strictly followed.
3. Follow AYUSH ministry's advisory in order to increase immunity.
4. Download Arogya setu App to stop spread of COVID-19. Encourage others to do so as well.
5. Try to help poor as much as possible.
6. Don't lay off employees during the lock-down.
7. Salute the COVID warriors and help them.

COVID-19: Technology at Service of Justice System

Case Name: IN RE: GUIDELINES FOR COURT FUNCTIONING THROUGH VIDEO. CONFERENCING DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

Even as the world is going through turbulent situation, the institution of justice delivery system can never afforded to be brought to a halt. It has been rightly remarked by Martin Luther King Jr., 

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere".

Hence, the current situation calls for a robust justice delivery system across the world. In this regard, the Supreme Court of India has left no stone unturned to ensure speedy justice delivery to every segment of the society.

Guidelines:

Given that social distancing is the need of the hour to prevent communication of COVID-19, the apex court exercised its power under Article 142 (inherent powers) to balance the public health and justice delivery.

It issued a slew of guidelines to streamline functioning of courts via video conferencing during national lockdown.

These guidelines are:

1. The measures that have been and that shall be taken by this Court and by the High Courts, to reduce the need for the physical presence of all stakeholders within court premises and to secure the functioning of courts in consonance with social distancing guidelines and best public health practices shall be deemed to be lawful.
2. The Supreme Court of India and High Courts have been authorized to adopt measures required to ensure the robust functioning of the judicial system through the use of video conferencing technologies;
3. In light of the peculiarities of the judicial system in every state, every High Court is authorised to determine the modalities which are suitable to the temporary transition to the use of video conferencing technologies;
4. The concerned courts shall maintain a helpline to ensure that any complaint in regard to the quality or audibility of feed shall be communicated during the proceeding or immediately after its conclusion. No grievance can be raised afterwards. 
5. The District Courts in each State shall adopt the mode of Video Conferencing prescribed by the concerned High Court.
6. The Court shall duly notify and make available the facilities for video conferencing for such litigants who do not have the means or access to video conferencing facilities. 
7. Until appropriate rules are framed by the High Courts, video conferencing shall be mainly employed for hearing arguments whether at the trial stage or at the appellate stage. 
• But evidence shall not be recorded without the mutual consent of both the parties by video conferencing. 
• If it is necessary to record evidence in a Court room the presiding officer shall ensure that appropriate distance is maintained between any two individuals in the Court.

Celebrity but not Immunity.

Few days back, famous Bollywood singer, Kanika Kapoor, known for her songs Baby Doll and Chittiyan Kaliyaan was in news again. But this time not for the launch of any new music album or song, rather for being tested positive for COVID-19 and for infecting others with same.

This happened, when she returned to Lucknow from London, perhaps not accompanied by anyone other than corona. She attended several parties including a lavish party at a five star hotel in Lucknow, which was attended by several bureaucrats and political big guns. Sources also claim that she hid her travel history from authorities. 

This landed her into a legal tussle after an FIR was filed againet her under Sections 188, 269, and 270 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) based on a complaint by the Chief Medical Officer of Lucknow on the ground that when the singer was screened at the Lucknow airport on March 14, "high viral load was detected". She was advised "home quarantine", but the advice was "disregarded".

Obviously, she denies the allegations. But whatever may have been the scenario, she stands responsible for being negligent and for infection cases that are likely to come because of her.

A different example.

While celebrities like Kanika fail to understand their responsibilities and consequences of such failure, there are several persons who paint a different picture. 

Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara and former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie, who returned from UK, are under self-quarantine. This despite the fact that they have not been found to have any symptom of the deadly virus. They are simply following the government guidelines for those recently returned from Europe, the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Probably, others will learn some lessons from them. Being a celebrity or a prominent public figure doesn't imply immunity from government rules and Rule of Law. Instead of neglecting their responsibilities, they must promote people to follow the guidelines.

When such celebrities, endorse a product via media, people blindly trust them and consume such products. 

Whatever Kanika pleads in her defence in the court of law, she will still be guilty for putting several lives in danger. In a nutshell, a celebrity without sense of responsibility is nothing but a sham personality.