New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to respond to the case regarding door-to-door Covid vaccination for disabled people, in two weeks. Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice B V Nagarathna also requested the assistance of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on steps taken so far to immunize the differently-abled, and on the government’s proposals on this issue.
Pankaj Sinha, appearing for the NGO Evara Foundation, said two documents exist, including one by the Indian Medical Association, which states that COVID-19 vaccination should be done door-to-door so that maximum coverage is achieved. According to him, Jharkhand and Kerala have successfully done this, and it can also be done for the differently-abled. The bench noted that the petition seeks door-to-door vaccinations for the differently-abled, preference for scheduling vaccinations and a dedicated helpline for the differently-abled apart from the CoWIN portal. It stated that the petitioner had relied on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, which contemplates the concept of reasonable accommodation too.
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Mr. Sinha requested that the notice be sent to all states and union territories as well. The bench informed Sinha that if it does so, it will take two months for them to respond. ‘We are at first issuing notice to Centre to see what their response is and if there is need for issuing notice to states/UTs in future, we can always do so in the future,’ the bench said.
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