Jaan Hai Toh Jahan Hai

25/03/2020

In his second national broadcast in a week on the pandemic raging across much of the world with the number of infections rising in India, Modi made a fervent appeal to the countrymen not to cross the 'lakshmanrekha' of their homes in the next three weeks. Prime Minister NarendraModihas announced a complete nationwide lockdown for 21 days from Tuesday midnight, asserting in an emotional appeal "with folded hands" that unless India's 130 crore people practice social distancing, the country will lose the war against coronavirus outbreak and slide back 21 years."Jaanhaitohjahanhai (the world exists only when we live)," he said, recalling a Hindi idiom to stress on the significance of his appeal.The Centre and state governments have taken measures to ensure that the supply of all essential items continue smoothly, he said, seeking to allay apprehensions among people about availability of food and other essential provisions.In his nearly 30-minute address, Modi underscored the challenge India faces at a time when countries with world class health infrastructure have been left "helpless" due to the rapid pace of the coronavirus' spread as he repeatedly, at times with folded hands, asked people to remain indoors.The lockdown will be like a "curfew" only but more stringent than the 'janata curfew', which the country had observed on Sunday, he said, adding it will have an economic cost but saving people's lives is of the paramount interest to his government.The experience of countries, which have been able to contain the virus to some extent, and experts' views have made it clear that social distancing caused by a lockdown is the only way to break the cycle of the infection's spread, he said.
In yet another major decision aimed at containing spread of Coronavirus, High Court has decided to hear urgent matters through video-conferencing or video call facility only and restricted the functioning of the District Courts up to large extent. Moreover, special directions have been issued vis-a-vis criminal and civil cases pending in the courts across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh. The decision has been taken keeping in view suspension of public transport and certain other restrictions imposed by the Government and in order to prevent spread of Coronavirus, said Registrar General of the High Court Sanjay Dhar. "In case of urgent matters, the parties/counsels shall, after informing the opposite parties/counsels, send urgency memo through e-mail to the concerned Registrar Judicial by 3 pm of the previous day of the date on which the matter is listed and upon satisfaction about urgency, the court may hear such matter(s)", the circular said, adding "on the date and time fixed, the case shall be heard through video-conferencing". In the event, video-conferencing is not available and in case of exceptional urgency, remote hearing of the cases may be conducted using video-call facility, Registrar General said, adding the Advocates/litigants shall telephonically mention their matters by providing title, number and stage of the matter; mobile number (associated with WhatsApp) of the litigants/advocate from which he intends to appear through video call; grounds of urgency through e-mail/WhatsApp message/SMS by 3 pm of the previous day of the date fixed and upon satisfaction about the urgency, the court may hear such matter through video-conferencing or video call.

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