Supreme Court Seeks Centre For National Plan On Oxygen Supply, Vaccination As Covid-19 Crisis Reaches Peak

Mumbai: The Supreme Court took cognizance on the issue of oxygen and essential medicines with a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by CJI SA Bobde asking Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to submit or inform it by providing a national plan, after taking into the record the fact that at least 6 different High Courts have been hearing the matter.

CJI SA Bobde said India was facing a national emergency and said the court would hear the matter tomorrow.

The top court-appointed senior advocate Harish Salve as amicus curiae to assist in the COVID-19 management case.

“We mainly have 4 issues – supply of oxygen, supply of essential medicines and method of vaccination,” the CJI said.

The apex court has also said that it will examine the HC’s judicial power amidst the increase in the number of COVs and -19 cases.

On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court drew from industries to hospitals for not providing enough oxygen for COVID-19 patients, saying “it seems that human life is not important to the state”.

It ordered the centre to provide “oxygen” to whatever means are available to hospitals experiencing severe gas shortages in the treatment of severe COV-19 patients.

“You are not exploring all avenues to augment oxygen supply. Beg, borrow or steal,” the court told the Centre and asked why it is not waking up to the gravity of the emergency situation. It further warned that certainly, all hell will break loose if medical oxygen supplied to the hospitals is stopped due to shortage.

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