Supreme Court asks Centre to mediate between Kerala and Karnataka over road blockade on border

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, April 3, 2020: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Union Health Secretary to mediate a discussion between the Chief Secretaries of Kerala and Karnataka to resolve the issue of allowing patients from Kasaragod district to avail emergency medical facilities in Mangaluru.

The Karnataka government has blockaded the roads leading from Kasaragod to Mangaluru in the wake of the lockdown imposed following the outbreak of coronavirus cases in India.

A bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and Deepak Gupta were hearing a special leave petition filed by the Karnataka government challenging the Kerala High Court’s April 1 order asking the Centre to intervene and remove blockades to allow passage for patients from Kasaragod seeking health services in Mangaluru. The matter will be heard again in the apex court on April 7. It asked both states to ‘not precipitate’ the matter until then, LiveLaw reported.