Bengaluru: During the hearing of a petition raising allegations that the COVID-19 guidelines laid down by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) were not followed or implemented in Karnataka, the High Court asked the state government if it had levied fines on MP Tejasvi Surya or other politicians for not wearing masks during political rallies.

The petition was filed by advocate Ramesh Puthige, who had earlier argued that celebrities in the state are not being pulled up for violating physical distancing norms and not wearing a mask while the common man was being fined for flouting the same norms.

Puthige also alleged that MP Surya was seen flouting the norms on September 30, when he was being welcomed in a rally from the airport to the BJP office. The MP’s office has, however, not yet commented on the allegation.

According to a report by Bar and Bench, Chief Justice Abhay Sreenivas Oka and Justice Vishwajith Shetty, on Thursday, asked the state government what signal it was sending elected representatives who are flouting safety norms during the pandemic.

In response, the state government’s counsel submitted before the court a police officer’s report stating that MP Surya had not violated social distancing norms that were implemented owing to the pandemic. The Bench responded to the counsel’s argument by asking about photographs showing the Bengaluru South MP sans mask.

Apart from MP Surya, other politicians from different political parties, including KPCC chief D K Shivakumar and former health minister B Sriramulu, have been found flouting the COVID-19 guidelines.