Supreme Court To Resume Hearing In Suo Moto COVID Case On May 31

LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK

29 May 2021 4:04 PM IST

  • Supreme Court To Resume Hearing In Suo Moto COVID Case On May 31

    A 3-judge bench of the Supreme Court will resume the hearing on the suo moto case on COVID issues (In Re Distribution of Essential Services and Supplies During Pandemic) on May 31.The hearing was deferred until further notice on May 13 after Justice D Y Chandrachud, the presiding judge, tested positive for COVID-19.On April 30, the bench, also comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and S...

    A 3-judge bench of the Supreme Court will resume the hearing on the suo moto case on COVID issues (In Re Distribution of Essential Services and Supplies During Pandemic) on May 31.

    The hearing was deferred until further notice on May 13 after Justice D Y Chandrachud, the presiding judge, tested positive for COVID-19.

    On April 30, the bench, also comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and S Ravindra Bhat, had raised several pertinent queries regarding the Centre's vaccination policy, distribution of essential medicines and oxygen allocation to states. The bench had made a prima facie observation that the Centre's vaccination was detrimental to the right to health of citizens and required a revisit to make it conform to the mandate of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. The Court had also suggested that the Centre should explore options like compulsory licensing over COVID vaccines and drugs, and that the vaccines should be centrally procured from manufacturers.

    In response, the Centre has filed an affidavit, saying that its vaccination policy was formulated on the basis of widespread consultations with experts and stakeholders, and was therefore conforming with Articles 14 and 21.

    The centre also resisted judicial review of the policy by saying "any overzealous, though well-meaning judicial intervention may lead to unforeseen and unintended consequences".


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