Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Apr 24: The state and the centre simultaneously promulgated ordinances spelling quantum of punishment and penalty in case of attack on corona warriors, doctors, and health workers. Even though the central law prescribes harsher forms of punishment, the state's ordinance will stay, experts say.

The central law was brought in place of some earlier central laws and notifications. The central law will be applicable in states where such laws are not in force, as well as in union territories, sources said.

As law and order as well as health are state subjects, the laws passed by the state will have preference. As per the law, attack on doctors, health workers, government employees, staff, obstructing them from working or assault will pose them to the risk of being put behind the bars for not less than three years.

As per central law, assault on these functionaries has been made non-bailable offence and paved way for penalizing twice the amount of property damaged by them. Former advocate general Ashok Harnahalli, said that when there is direct conflict between the centre and state law, central law will gain precedence. However, when the state laws have things which are not contained in central law, state law will hold good, he stated. The state level law is not limited to coronavirus control and senior advocate Shashikiran Shetty said that as the state law is limited to the state' jurisdiction, state law will stand in Karnataka.