The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday questioned the restrictions placed by the state government on inter-state travel between Karnataka and Kerala.
The High Court noted that the interstate border between Karnataka and Kerala was opened on August 15, but several conditions, including a mandatory medical examination and registration on the Seva Sindhu portal, were in place.
However, these conditions were in place despite the Unlock 3.0 guidelines issued by the National Disaster Management Authority which said no separate approvals or e-permit was required for interstate movement of people. The Unlock 3.0 guidelines also allowed state governments to monitor the pandemic in their state and take a call on imposing lockdowns and other restrictions.
The High Court made the observations while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) by residents of villages in Kerala and Karnataka along the border check post in Saradka in Dakshina Kannada district. The PIL sought directions to allow free movement at the checkpost.
The High Court asked the state government whether the conditions laid down for interstate movement of people is legal when Unlock 3.0 guidelines state that no permits or registration is required for interstate travel, Bar and Bench reported. The orders however did mention that state government can take decisions on imposing lockdowns or travel restrictions based on the situation in their respective states. The High Court also pointed out that the central government has said that downloading the Aarogya Setu application is not mandatory, but the state government is making registration on Seva Sindhu Portal mandatory. It asked under which authority this was made mandatory.
Restrictions were not only placed on the Karnataka side of the border, but it was announced on the Kerala side too.
Earlier in July, TNM reported that the Kerala government had suspended daily e-passes for travel from Kasargod in Kerala to the neighboring Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka. This affected as many as 1,300 daily commuters as per data recorded by the Dakshina Kannada district administration and included people managing shops, working in petrol pumps and even in healthcare. The Kerala government asked those travelling to Dakshina Kannada to stay at their workplace for 28 days.
The Kerala government has announced that passes for those travelling from Kasargod to Dakshina Kannada will be issued from August 19. The Kasaragod district Minister-in-Charge E Chandrashekaran said that rapid antigen tests will be conducted at the border checkpost in Talapady, 22 km from Mangaluru, before people are allowed to pass through.
In March, at the start of the lockdown period, Karnataka and Kerala governments took on each other in the Supreme Court after the Karnataka government stopped movement from Kerala to Karnataka. This left patients in Kasargod district living in villages close to the border struggling since they generally traveled to hospitals in Mangaluru for treatment.
The issue was resolved in the Supreme Court and Karnataka allowed non-COVID-19 patients to pass through the border check post in April.