We are At Pain in Observing That Death of Covid Patients Just for Non-Supplying of Oxygen Allahabad High Court

(Judicial Quest News Network)

Allahabad High Court has strongly condemned the UP government after knowing that several citizens begging for oxygen with authorities went viral on social media and ordered an enquiry.

The death of COVID-19 patients due to the non-supply of oxygen to hospitals is a criminal act and nothing less than genocide.

The Court in a strongly worded order stated that authorities responsible for the procurement and supply of the gas are committing criminal acts.

A bench of Justices Ajit Kumar and Sidhartha Varma, therefore proceeded to order an inquiry into incidents of death reported from Meerut and Lucknow hospitals based on the social media reports.

The Court has observed that the entire social media id flooded with the stories and visuals where citizens begging for oxygen cylinders to save the lives of their near and dear ones and harassment meted out to them by the district administration and police administration.

“Stories of hoarding of oxygen cylinders and harassment meted out to those poor citizens who were begging for an oxygen cylinder to save the life of their near and dear ones, both at the end of district administration and police administration are being viralled in social media. The news was also viralled that five patients had died in ICU of a new trauma centre of Medical College, Meerut on Sunday last. Similarly, news was also being viralled that one Sun Hospital, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow and another private hospital at Meerut had taken their hands off the admitted Covid patients only for the reason that oxygen supply was not made even after demand. We find these news items showing a quite contrary picture to one claimed by the Government that there was sufficient supply of oxygen. “The Court Observed.

The Court said that these videos are quite contrary to one claimed by the Government that there was sufficient supply of oxygen.

“We are at pain in observing that death of Covid patients just for non

supplying of oxygen to the hospitals is a criminal act and not less than a

genocide by those who have been entrusted the task to ensure continuous

procurement and supply chain of the liquid medical oxygen. How can we

let our people die in this way when science is so advanced that even heart

transplantation and brain surgery are taking place these days. Normally,

we would have not directed the State and district administration to enquire

into such news that have been viralled on social media but since the

Advocates who were appearing in this PIL supported such news and even

submitted that more or less situations in other districts of State are the

same, we find it necessary to direct for immediate remedial measures to

be taken by the Government. The District Magistrate, Lucknow and

District Magistrate, Meerut are directed to enquire into the matter of such

news items within 48 hours and submit their reports on the next date fixed

respectively. They are also directed to appear before the Court online on

the next date fixed.” The Court said.

The Court also said that normally it would not have asked State or district administration to enquire into such news which are circulated on social media.

we find it necessary to direct for immediate remedial measures to be taken by the Government. The District Magistrate, Lucknow and District Magistrate, Meerut are directed to enquire into the matter of such news items within 48 hours and submit their reports on the next date fixed respectively. They are also directed to appear before the Court online on the next date fixed.

The Court was hearing a Suo Motu case initiated by it almost last month in relation to COVID-19 crisis in the state. The Court has passed various orders during the previous hearing as well.

Advocate Anuj Singh on Tuesday submitted that though the government has created a portal to show availability of Level-2 and Level-3 beds in Covid wards and ICU in various hospitals, both private and government but the data fed for display in the portal was not correct.

During the course of hearing, we asked Sri Anuj Singh to dial the number again of Hari Prasad Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, to know exactly as to whether the data was correct or not and as to whether the reply as was received earlier by Sri Anuj Singh remained same, Sri Anuj Singh, dialed the number again and again and the line was showing busy, however, ultimately he had been able to connect and reply was that there was no Level-2 & Level-3 bed available, whereas on the online portal, during the course of hearing of the case, was showing that there were vacant positions of beds in both Level-2 and Level-3 category.

The Court has also heard the suggestions made raised by the members of the Bar and directed Additional Advocate General, Manish Goyal, to study the feasibility of setting up a vaccination centre specifically for lawyers of the Bar Association and employees of the High Court at Allahbad and Lucknow Bench.

This state of affairs that we have come to know about the

management of online portal created by the Government today casts

shadow upon the Covid Hospital Management more so, in the face of the

fact that the Government although had been claiming that there were

sufficient beds in various hospitals and even in the last affidavit, they

showed that there were about 17614 isolation beds and 5510 ICU/ SDU

beds in the various private hospitals in the State and there was no scarcity.