J&K High Court has asked the government to file a comprehensive report indicating the steps taken in relation to Covid-19 in the UT.
Hearing on its own motion a Public Interest Litigation, the division bench of Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and justice Vinod Chatterji Koul asked J&K’s Advocate General D C Rina to file a comprehensive report indicating as to what action and steps have been taken by the government so far, in relation to the pandemic.
With regard to the grievances and suggestions raised by certain applicant lawyers before it, the Bench said: “After considering the various aspects of the matter, we do not deem it proper to narrate all those grievances and suggestions”. The Court, however, asked all the lawyers to submit their grievances and suggestions through Amicus Curiae Monika Kohli to the Advocate General who, it said, will respond to each and every grievance and suggestion within two weeks.
The Court held that, if necessary, the Advocate General may take up the matter with the State Government and try to resolve them as early as possible. The Court also directed the Advocate General to respond to the various applications “pending” in the PIL and on which response was earlier directed to be submitted. During earlier hearing, the Court had asked the Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education to file an affidavit giving complete details of the number of government and private hospitals available in J&K for treatment of Covid patients, number of beds available, District wise/City wise quantity of Remdesivir allotted and exact quantity of the drug received and used with the corresponding figures of the requirement.
The Court had also directed the government to nominate Nodal Officers and publicise their full details with contact numbers so that the patients or their relatives may approach them with proper medical prescription for the supply of oxygen. The Court said once the nodal officers are approached by the patients, they shall take immediate and adequate steps to ensure the supply of oxygen where it was found to be needed without causing any harassment to anyone.