MUMBAI: A PIL has been filed in the Madras High Court requesting the government not to allow the Board of Cricket Council of India from holding IPL in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

According to media reports, the PIL is likely to come up before a division bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Krishnan Ramaswamy on 12 March.

The petitioner said, “As per the website of the World Health Organisation, there was no specific medicine or to prevent or to treat the COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019) as on date.”

The petitioner also said that the virus has been spreading all over the world rapidly and creating panic across countries, according to media reports.

The virus that first appeared in Wuhan city of China has spread to over 46 countries and entered India earlier this month. Around 60 positive cases have been confirmed in India as of Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the country’s biggest cricketing event is scheduled between 29 March and 24 April with the first match being played between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.

The most affected country in Europe is Italy, wherein over 10,000 confirmed cases have been reported as of Wednesday. “The Italy Federation League, one of the oldest leagues in the world, has been severely affected and the football games were being played behind closed doors with no fans allowed at any football ground until 3 April by the Italian government,” the petitioner said.

The media reports also mentioned that the petitioner had sent a representation to authorities not to allow the BCCI to conduct IPL T20 cricket matches.