The Kerala High Court on Tuesday dismissed two pleas challenging Karnataka government's decision to restrict entry from here at borders of Kasaragod and Mangalore only to those having a negative RT-PCR report, saying the neighbouring state was well within its powers to issue such directions.

The high court said it was an admitted fact there was no blockade of the roads from Kerala to Karnataka and the restrictions, like a negative RT-PCR certificate, were imposed within that state in view of the unprecedented surge of Covid-19 pandemic prevalent in Kerala. "Therefore, going by the guidelines issued by the central government, it is clear that under any such circumstances, the states are given the power and responsibility to impose reasonable restrictions, so as to combat the disease.

 "Therefore, state of Karnataka was well within its powers to issue circulars, orders or guidelines under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, in consonance with various guidelines issued by the central government," a bench of Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly said and dismissed the two PILs, one by A K M Ashraf, the IUML MLA from Manjeshwar and the other by Jayananda K R, the Secretary of Rastrakavi Manjeshwara Govinda Pai Smaraka Samithi.

The bench further said that the Karnataka government has the necessary leverage to issue circulars, taking into account the situations prevailing in the neighbouring states of Kerala and Maharashtra. "Viewed from that angle, it can never be said that a part of cause of action for the writ petitions has arisen within the state of Kerala.

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