The High Court of Bombay asked on Friday, “How is it that for political leaders the policy is different,” when it was reported through news reports that a leader in Maharashtra was given Coronavirus vaccine at home.
The High Court was learning a PIL filed for its interference to allow door-to-door injections for the very elderly, bed-ridden & physically challenged. Lawyers Dhruti Kapadia & Kunal had filed it to seek changes in facilities for those aged over 75 & home-bound people. Kapadia, without specifying NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who got the jab at home earlier this week, said, “We have been reading in the news that home vaccination has taken place.”
The bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta & Justice Girish Kulkarni quickly asked the State Govt, which is a party to the PIL, “How is it that a political leader is given a jab at home?” The bench too did not mention Pawar’s name.
The Chief Justice verbally observed, “When we had asked the BMC commissioner to turn the HC medical room into a camp for lawyers & court staff over 45, he had expressed an inability since there was no Intensive Care Unit… Is an ICU facility made available at the residence of the political leaders?”
The High Court said the PIL is not adversarial action and told the state government pleader Purnima Kantharia, “Whatever has happened has happened. Next time, if we find that any politician gets a jab at home, we will handle it. If PM & President of India can go to the hospital for the vaccine, why not leaders of Maharashtra?”
ASG Anil Singh & counsel Advait Sethna for the Centre presented an ‘internal note’ to the bench and submitted its policy doesn’t permit ‘door-to-door’ vaccinations. Because a doctor’s presence at the vaccination centres is a must since each receiver needs to wait for 30 minutes at the centre to assure no adverse effects for medicine(AEFI) occur, and if they do, they can be managed on-site. The effort is to guard against “serious adverse” feedback post the jab. Singh said there is a helpline for people, to assist with adverse reactions (1075).
The High Court said there must be a normal system and directed the state to file an affidavit.
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