Written by: Sagar Rana (Intern)
Edited by: Anubhav Yadav (Content Head & Developer)
- The Delhi High Court, on 26th April 2021, brought back a disposed-of petition filed by advocate Rakesh Malhotra related to Covid-19 testing’s and infrastructure, stating that the virus has raised its “ugly head” once again. The court said the pandemic is raging with much greater intensity and it is apparent that the healthcare infrastructure is at the stage of impending collapse.
Taking a special note of the trouble of daily wagers and migrant labourers, the high courtrecalled the State’s failures during the last year’s migrant crisis. It, therefore, directed the government to utilise the available money with the board constituted under the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act 1996 to provide medicines, food and other necessities to construction workers. - On 27th April 2021, The Delhi High Court hauled up the Aam Aadmi Party led government in the Delhi over its management of the Covid-19 crisis, stating that its confidence was shaken by the government’s reaction and that if the government cannot manage the situation, the court will ask the Centre to step in.
The division bench of Justices Rekha Palli and Vipin Sanghi said, “Set your house in order. Enough is enough. If you cannot manage it, tell us, and then we will ask the central government to send their officers in and do it. We will ask them to take over. We cannot let people die like this,”
The court also noted that the government has failed to check the alleged mismanagement in the distribution of medical oxygen and widespread black marketing of oxygen cylinders and essential Covid-19 drugs in Delhi. The court asked the Delhi government to take over Seth Air Products, a cylinder-supplying unit in Dwarka, which, it said, could be resorting to such practice of black marketing. It also wanted a report from the state government on the deaths in hospitals resulting because of oxygen shortage. - On 28th April 2021, the Delhi High Court objected to a so-called “change” by the Centre Government in the COVID treatment protocol related to Remdesivir use amid a shortage of the drug. The court showing its dissatisfaction stated the said change in protocol is wrong and a complete non-application of mind because of the fact that under the protocol being followed now only patients on oxygen support were being given Remdesivir which means that those people who do not have oxygen will not get Remdesivir either. Justice Prathiba M Singh remarked, “It appears you want people to die.” The court also said it will consider later whether a medical committee should review if the protocols or guidelines for administering Remdesivir need any modification.
The Centre, on the allocation of the drug to Delhi, told the court that over 52,000 vials, out of the allocated amount of 72,000, were sent to the national capital till April 27. It said the allocation was being made on account of the actual caseload of a state. However, the courtsaid the allocation cannot be so low for Delhi. The Centre then said that in the coming days the allocation would increase as there would be a rise in production.