'Appropriate Steps Being Taken For Vaccination Of Under-Trials & Prisoners': J&K Administration Tells High Court

Advocate General DC Raina on Friday informed a Division Bench comprising of Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Rajnesh Oswal that the government is conscious of its obligation and appropriate steps are being taken for the vaccination of all the citizens including under-trial as well as convicted prisoners.

"The prisoners are not going to be left out from vaccination and they would be vaccinated on turn at an appropriate time," Raina submitted.

The development comes in a PIL filed by one Naseem Qadri, seeking registration and the vaccination of all prisoners in the UT.

Petitioner's counsel, Advocate Syed Musaib argued before the Bench that prisoners also have a right of life which includes proper medication and protection against Covide-19 pandemic

However, in view of the submission made by the AG and upon noticing that the Petitioner had not approached the competent authority before invoking writ jurisdiction of the Court, the Division Bench stated,

"A demand to the proper authority is a sine qua non for issuance of writ in the nature of mandamus. But we do not find that the petitioners have approached the appropriate authority so as to bring their concern to their notice for any appropriate action."

Accordingly, the petition was disposed with liberty to the Petitioner to submit a comprehensive representation regarding registration and vaccination of the prisoners to the Director General of Prisons, UT of J&K.

It added,

"In the event, any such representation is submitted, the Director General of Prisons, would consider it and take all possible immediate steps for the registration and the vaccination of the prisoners or may formulate a policy or a scheme so that no inmate of the jail remains unvaccinated."

Case Title: Naseem Qadri & Anr. v. Union of India & Ors.

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