BJP MLA Moves Allahabad High Court Seeking CBI Inquiry Into Black Marketing Of Oxygen In UP Amid Covid-19

Citing extreme urgency in the matter, the Petitioner's counsels, Advocates Shashwat Anand, Zaheer Asghar and Ankur Azad have moved a mention (via email) for urgent listing.

The development is significant in light of remarks made by UP CM Yogi Adityanath that there is no dearth of Oxygen in the state.

The Petitioner, Nand Kishore, is an elected MLA from the Loni constituency, situated in the city of Ghaziabad.

He has alleged that the Additional District Magistrate of Ghaziabad, who is in-charge of Oxygen distribution in the city, along with other such persons involved, has been illegally black-marketing Oxygen supplies from Ghaziabad, in Delhi, Haryana, etc.

In this regard, he has furnished several audio and video clips before the Court, allegedly showing the ADM's complicity in the matter.

It is stated that there are several Oxygen Plants in Ghaziabad that can easily sustain and fulfil the entire Oxygen demand in the district.

However, since the past several days, despite repeated requests the ADM concerned has not made even a single Oxygen cylinder available in the Covid Hospitals situated in Loni constituency.

"Death of Covid patients just for non supplying of oxygen to the hospitals is a criminal act and not less than a genocide by those who have been entrusted the task to ensure continuous procurement and supply chain of the liquid medical oxygen," the Petitioner submitted quoting the Allahabad High Court in the case of 'In-Re Inhuman Condition At Quarantine Centres And For Providing Better Treatment To Corona Positive'.

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The Petitioner has also referred to a letter addressed to CM Adityanath by another BJP MLA (from Lakhimpur Khiri), claiming that a crippling oxygen shortage has claimed many lives in the region that he represents in the House.

"It is crystalline that black-marketing and illegal sale of Oxygen supplies is going on at a massive scale in Ghaziabad, the State of U.P. and neighbouring States, and Shri Shailendra Kumar Singh, ADM 15 (City), Ghaziabad (respondent no. 6), along with such other persons involved, is at the centre of the same, indulging in corrupt malpractices and helming and orchestrating the Oxygen black-marketing rackets within Ghaziabad and beyond, to the utter detriment of the life, well-being and safety of a multitude of citizens in Ghaziabad and the State of U.P. and in sheer violation of their rights guaranteed under Article 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution," the plea states.

The Petitioner has thus urged that a Judicial Officer/ retired High Court Judge be directed to monitor the manufacturing, supply and distribution of Oxygen in Ghaziabad in real-time and file periodical status reports before the Court.

The petition also seeks a direction to the UP Government to put in place a proper plan/ policy for payment of compensation to the families of such Covid patients who died due to shortage of Oxygen.