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The Tripura High Court gave a clean chit to Former West Tripura district magistrate Shailesh Kumar Yadav on May 22 in the case in connection with the raids at wedding halls when the second wave of the Covid 19 was at its peak.
Speaking to ANI, advocate Samrat Kar Bhowmik, who defended ex-DM Yadav, said, "The matter dates back to April 26, 2021. That was the period when the Disaster Management Act and Section 144 were enforced during the Covid-19 (second wave)." "Shailesh Kumar Yadav, who was the district magistrate of West Tripura, was informed that two marriage banquet halls were openly flouting the night curfew curbs, which used to be in force from 10 in the night to 5 in the morning. Being the head of the district, he acted as per the orders issued by the chief secretary of Tripura. He visited the marriage halls and found that orders were being violated," he said. "No sanitisation was being maintained, the crowd was much more than the permissible level and the disaster management curbs were being taken for granted. He ordered the officials to separate and disperse the crowd. Even the specific time for solemnising the rituals was over when he visited the spot," he said. According to the senior advocate, the district magistrate visited two marriage halls on that specific day where Covid-19 curbs were being flouted in both places. "As many as three petitions were filed in connection with the case and one of them was a public interest litigation. One of the cases was filed by Swapan Kumar Deb, a relative of either the bride or the groom. Another petition was filed by advocate Bhaskar Debbarma and the third case was a PIL," Bhowmik told ANI, "Many people, including some noted personalities of the country, spoke on the matter as well. The court, after hearing the prolonged arguments from both sides that include, reports of three inquiry committees constituted by the court finally acquitted the IAS officer," he added. Yadav is currently posted as the commissioner of Agartala Municipal Corporation. (ANI)
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