The Supreme Court has come down hard on the Delhi government for its ‘horrendous, horrific and pathetic’ way of handling the coronavirus pandemic
Bengaluru: The Supreme Court has come down hard on the Delhi government for its “horrendous, horrific and pathetic” way of handling the coronavirus pandemic.
The bench consisted of Justices Ashok Bhushan, S.K. Kaul and M.R. Shah, who had taken suo moto cognisance of the issue.
They also came down hard on the way the bodies were not being given dignity they ought to get.
The bench minced no words in slamming the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government for its handling of dead bodies, terming it "very sorry state of affairs". The court noted that Covid patients were treated worse than animals with dead bodies being found in garbage, as reported by a popular website.
The website also added solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who represents the Centre, saying there was a case in Delhi where dead bodies were found alongside patients, who were undergoing treatment. Mehta contended that showing no respect to a dead body is also an offence under the Indian Penal Code.
The bench also made this observation: "One video from LNJP hospital showed how badly the dead bodies are being treated. There is absolutely no respect for the dead bodies too.”
On the issue of low number of tests being conducted, the bench said, "The number of tests conducted is low in Delhi compared to Chennai and Mumbai...Why are tests so less in Delhi? Nobody should be denied testing on technical reasons...simplify procedure so more and more can test for Covid.”
The bench also was upset at the way the dead bodies of Covid-19 patients were being treated. It noted that the relatives of the deceased were not even being informed.
On the issue of vacant beds, the bench noted that there were 2000 vacant beds in Delhi, but patients did not want to go there.
The bench will reconvene next week.
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