Plea Moved In Bombay High Court Challenging The De-facto Imposition Of 'Aarogya Setu' In Passport Office, Mumbai

A petition has been moved in the Bombay High Court, challenging the de-facto imposition of Aarogya Setu by officials of Passport Seva Kendra, Mumbai. The directive in the guidelines issued on Sunday, May 17, had stated, "With a view to ensuring safety in offices and workplaces, employers on best effort basis should ensure that Aarogya Setu is installed by employees having compatible mobile phones" Bail Conditions involving the installation of Aarogya Setu App While on one hand, various High Courts, including the Madhya Pradesh High Court and Jharkhand High Court, have been asking the Bail applicants to download the Aarogya Setu App in their mobile phones as a bail condition, on the other hand, some High Courts have questioned the mandatory use of download the Aarogya Setu App. Till now, at least in more than 2000 bail applications, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has asked the Bail Applicants to install Aarogya Setu App in their mobile phones Questions on the Mandatory use of Aarogya Setu App It may be noted that the High Court of Kerala, in May 2020 had orally raised doubts about the practicality of the mandatory condition imposed on employers to make their employees download 'Aarogya Setu', the contact tracing app developed by the National Informatics Centre amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, the Airport Authority of India had told the Karnataka High Court that use of Aarogya Setu Application by passengers is optional and not mandatory. In September 2020, while hearing a PIL against Deputy Collector, Margao's order making usage of Aarogya Setu App mandatory for entering the Old Collectorate building at Margao, the High Court of Bombay at Goa had asked the State government to file an affidavit indicating that usage of the said app is no longer mandatory in light of a statement made by the Advocate General of Goa Devidas Pangam to that effect.