Corona & Democracy - India

On this page, we are collecting information on the effects of the measures taken to halt the spread of the COVID-19 virus on democracy in India.

Information on COVID-19 measures and democracy
Type of measures Measures & sources
Limitations to freedom of movement

   13 March:

  • India is temporarily suspending almost all travel visas as part of its efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, visa-free travel for foreigners of Indian origin will also be suspended till April 15. The government advised to avoid non-essential travel and imposed 14-days quarantine for those who enter in India. Border with Myanmar has also been closed.

   22 March:

  • The government imposed a travel ban with effect from March 22, banning the arrival of all international flights for a week. The government had earlier already banned flights from several high-risk nations, including those from the European Union, till March 31.
  • Prime Minister has also asked citizens to follow ‘Janata Curfew’ (people curfew) from 7 am to 9 pm on Sunday 22 March.

   24 March:

  • India’s Prime Minister imposed a nationwide lockdown for three weeks, travel restrictions and a total ban for citizens from stepping out of their homes. Only essential services are allowed to stay open. The violation of lockdown rules is punishable with penal actions or fine, according to the kind of violation.

   14 April:

  • India extends coronavirus lockdown until May 3. The government divided the country into colour-coded areas depending on the level of infection. The areas marked as red zones by 20 April will not be applicable for any of the lockdown relaxation measures.

   20 April:

  • Inter-state, inter-district movement of people, metro, bus service continues to be prohibited till May 3. Movement of persons is allowed only for emergency or work reasons. The public gathering of more than 5 people is forbidden. Small shops and some business activities are allowed to open again.

30 May:

  • Lockdown restrictions are being eased as part of the Phased Re-opening (Unlock 1)

5 June:

  • Preventive measures, such as but not limited to, the prohibition of large gatherings as well as a night curfew from 9 pm until 5 am still apply

10 June:

  • Quarantine restrictions for each state are published

11 June:

  • General and specific guidelines for offices, hotels, religious places, restaurants and shopping malls on preventive measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 are released
Limitations to electoral rights
  • The Election Commission of India is also analyzing the model of South Korea in light of the upcoming elections in Autumn 2020. Artificial Intelligence, Online campaign, and Digital Technology will be taken into account.

 

24 March:

  • The Rajya Sabha election has been postponed
Limitation to civil rights
  • Muslims minority face discrimination during the pandemic as Hindu militant groups as BJP disseminated disinformation and hate speech that blames Muslims for the pandemic. On Twitter began circulating hashtags as #CoronaJihad and fake news on Muslims who purposefully spread the virus circulate on social media. Due to internet restrictions in Indian Kashmir doctors have been unable to attend online training on the use of vital equipment or download medical guidelines to fight the virus.
Risks to data security
  • The western state of Maharashtra and southern Karnataka state began using indelible ink to stamp people arriving at airports. The handstamps include the date that a person must remain under home quarantine, and states that those marked are “proud to protect” their fellow citizens.
  • In India, government officials are also pulling out citizen and reservation data from airlines and the railways to track suspected infections. Privacy concerns have been raised in the use of people’s data.
  • In some states, the government made public the personal details of those under home-quarantine or mandated all those quarantined to send selfies every hour throughout the day. Cities as Dehli plastered posters on home-quarantined patients’ houses that revealed their names and those of their family members
  • Applications have been launched to track the location of users, as the app Aarogya Setu
Limitations to freedom of information
  • Raising issues of censorship of the media and newspaper. For example, three states have issued notifications requiring media outlets to acquire prior clearance by the state before carrying any information or reportage about the pandemic. In addition, the central government sought to universalise this by petitioning the Supreme Court to issue a directive stating that no news on the subject could be printed or broadcast before facts were ascertained through a mechanism set up by the state.
Emergency powers for government
  • The government did not proclaim the state of emergency so far. The measures to contain the pandemic are taken under the Epidemic Disease Act of 1897. However, claims have been made on the insufficiency of the EDA.
Corona laws - full text

 
Various  
 
Last updated on 14.07.2020

 

Please note that we are constantly updating the information under rapidly changing circumstances, the information on this page should not be taken to be a complete overview of measures in a country. 

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