Court Fines Expert PU College Chairman Narendra Nayak for Covid-19 Lockdown Violation

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Mangaluru : The Third Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court in Mangaluru has imposed a total fine of ₹6,000 on Narendra Nayak, the Chairman of Expert Group of Institutions. This judicial action follows an incident where parents of students were permitted to assemble outside the gates of Expert PU College, directly flouting the strict Covid-19 lockdown guidelines that were in place at the time.

Presiding Judge E.S. Suresh delivered the verdict on May 22, penalizing Nayak under multiple legal provisions. Under Section 5(3A) of the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act, 2020, the court imposed a fine of ₹5,000, noting that a failure to pay this amount would result in seven days of simple imprisonment. Additionally, a fine of ₹1,000 was levied under Section 269 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for a negligent act likely to spread infection, with a default penalty of two days of simple imprisonment.

The legal case stems from an incident on April 27, 2021, at the college’s Valachil campus. According to the chargesheet, while a rigorous lockdown was enforced across the region, parents of hostel residents arrived from distant places and gathered in large numbers at the college gate. The prosecution argued that instead of safely dispatching the students to avoid crowding, the institution allowed a large gathering of parents to form outside its premises, violating public health mandates.

The court’s comprehensive 67-page judgment highlighted that the institutional actions violated a specific directive issued by the Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner on April 26, 2021. That administrative order had strictly prohibited the physical operation of schools, colleges, and coaching centers, mandating that all educational services be moved entirely to an online format to curb the virus spread.

Ultimately, the court concluded that the prosecution had successfully proven the allegations against Narendra Nayak beyond reasonable doubt. The ruling was heavily supported by solid witness testimonies along with photographic and video evidence captured during the incident, which corroborated the unlawful assembly at the campus gates.