Police to refrain from registering offences against the Mohammedan community during this period.

The High Court of Bombay recognised that persons belonging to the Mohammedan community might need to step out of their houses between 5:00-8:00pm to get food and milk. For this reason, police are required to refrain from registering offences against this community if found to be violating lockdown restrictions. This is only valid for the duration of Ramadan.

Relevant extracts of the said Judgment have been reproduced below-

“Considering that the holy Ramzan period has commenced from around the 13th April, 2021, and the District Collector, Aurangabad, having granted relaxation to persons belonging to the Mohammedan community between 05:00 p.m. to 08:00 p.m., to cater to the requirement of food and milk, the Road Traffic Police Officer or the Law Enforcing Agency would be considerate and would, therefore, refrain from registering offences against persons belonging to the Mohammedan community during this period. However, this would not mean a leverage to any of the persons from the Mohammedan brotherhood to violate the lock-down restrictions as well as these directions beyond the period of the relaxation as granted by the District Collector, Aurangabad. We expect the District Collectors of all other districts to grant relaxation to the persons belonging to the Mohammedan community akin to the relaxation extended at Aurangabad. This shall be restricted only for the holy fasting month of Ramzan and shall not be extended there beyond.”