On Tuesday, the Hon’ble Delhi High Court contested that it has requested the allocation of five-star COVID care facilities for its judges and staff. A bench of Justices Vipin Singh and Rekha Palli stated this after the media reports were published on Monday regarding the Delhi government’s decision for allocation of 100 rooms at The Ashoka Hotel in Chanakyapuri as a COVID 19 health care for High Court judges and their families.
The order in question was raised on Sunday by the Chanakyapuri Sub-Divisional Magistrate office, invoking the powers under the Disaster Management Act 2005 and the Delhi Epidemic Diseases COVID19 Regulations 2020. Amid other things, this order asserted that “a request has been accepted from Delhi High Court for deposing of the CHC facility for the Hon’ble Justices and other judicial officials of the Delhi High Court and their families”.
However, the Hon’ble Delhi High Court while hearing the case of shortage of oxygen and cooperating issues arising out of the COVID 19 disaster on Tuesday said that the order issued by the SDM was fallacious.
The court called it “markedly discriminatory”, saying that the government “cannot create a facility exclusively for any class”. “It’s unthinkable, we as an organization would take preference when people are dying on the road?” the bench asked, contending, “Withdraw the order or we’ll quash it.”
Mentioning that it would take suo moto cognizance of the issue, the Court further proceeded to rectify that all it had asked for was to make sure facility for hospitalization instead of stay in a Five-star hotel.
In response, the senior Adv. Rahul Mehra representing the Delhi Government blamed the media for playing a “mischievous game”.
However, the judges contended that the “media is not wrong, because the order is wrong”. Further hearing regarding the matter will be done on Thursday.