Mask missing, several men admonished by city court

New Delhi: Handing out conviction for not wearing masks and violating Covid-19 guidelines in the capital, several men were “admonished” by a Delhi court after they pleaded guilty for violating the imposed law during the lockdown.
“The convict states that he belongs to a poor family and is the sole breadwinner. He is also remorseful of his act and undertakes not to commit the offence in the future.Hence, a lenient view is prayed for. Keeping in view the facts and circumstances of the case, the convict is admonished under Section188 IPC... Since the accused was found not wearing the mask and violated the guidelines of Covid-19, hence this case,” held chief metropolitan magistrate Satvir Singh Lamba in one of the orders.
Police chargesheeted these men, who were booked under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant) of IPC. The incident took place on April 19, when they were reportedly spotted without a mask during the lockdown.
After examining the chargesheets, the court found a prima facie case under Section188 IPC against the accused and framed the charge to which they pleaded guilty and did not ask for a trial. The court, accordingly, convicted them for the offence, but noted that there was no injury or a victim in the case, and it didn’t require calling for a “victim impact report” keeping in mind Delhi High Court judgment in Karan vs State (NCT of Delhi).
“Since the case has been disposed of at the initial stage before the commencement of trial, it can be deduced that there are no expenses incurred by the prosecution as accused has pleaded guilty early. Hence, this court does not see any justified reason for calling any affidavit from the prosecution in respect of the expenses incurred,” the order reasoned.