Shivangi Prakash-
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court denied the anticipatory bail to a person accused of distributing false information about the COVID-19 vaccine and hindering the government’s vaccination effort, stating that giving him bail would be “adding a premium to his criminality.”
The Court observed that a few rumor-mongers are acting as a stumbling block to the government’s ambitious and painstaking efforts to protect the public from the deadly COVID-19 virus through vaccination initiatives.
The Principal Sessions Judge Tahir Khurshid Raina made the following observation about the alleged act committed by the accused,
“By spreading rumours and disinformation campaign against the vaccination, the petitioner and their ilk are creating a lot of fear psychosis and confusion among the general public about the vaccination.”
Further, noting the likelihood of a fatal third wave and the importance of vaccination the Court held thus:
“Such unsubstantiated and profane acts of the petitioner is not only grossly illegal but amounts to pushing the life of the people in peril, who, if not get promptly vaccinated, may fall prey to the deadly virus.”
The petitioner was granted interim anticipatory bail in his previous application for bail apprehending arrest. The Court, however, refused to extend the protection based on the Tehsildar’s and Revenue Officer’s statements recorded under Section 161 of the Cr. P.C.
The Court emphasized the importance of vaccination in these unprecedented times, relying on the World Health Organisation (WHO) opinion that “It is not the vaccine that will stop the pandemic but the vaccination”.The Court further stated that health personnel face significant resistance to vaccination, and are occasionally assaulted, as a result of the misconceptions and misinformation perpetuated by people like the petitioner.