What Centre Has Been Doing For Past 14 Months? Madras High Court Questions COVID Management Plan

The Madras High Court on Tuesday questioned the preparedness of the Central Government in relation to the management of COVID19 pandemic.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy asked what the Centre has been doing over the past 14 months.

"Why are we acting only in April now though we had time for one year? Despite having a lockdown for most of the last one year, see the situation of absolute despair we are in", Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee told the Additional Solicitor General of India R Shankaranarayanan.

The Chief Justice made these observations after the Additional Solicitor General said that the COVID surge was "unexpected". The ASG was explaining the measures taken to ramp up the availability of Remdesivir drug.

"I have never met a respectable doctor who advised to drop the guard", the Chief Justice said.

"Who are the experts Central Government has been consulting?", the Chief Justice asked, adding that he did not mean to disrespect anyone.

"All that we see here is that 'in June it will be better'. We have been relying on chance", the Chief Justice further said. The CJ said that there was a need to act on expert advice and not ad-hocism.

"We have to go in a planned and informed manner with expert advice", the CJ said.

The Chief Justice also asked the ASG about the vaccine pricing and about the crash of the COWIN app, through which registration for vaccination has to be done.

Saying that he also saw reports regarding COWIN crash, the ASG said that he will address the bench on these aspects tomorrow.

"There cannot be an ad-hocism about that", the CJ asserted.

The bench was hearing the suo-moto case taken to monitor the issues relating to hospital beds, supply of oxygen, availability of drugs and vaccination for the treatment of COVID19.

The matter will be further considered tomorrow.