BMC on Friday told the Bombay High Court that it was not the civic body that administered Covid vaccine dose to a senior politician at his home in April and sought a week’s time to find out at whose instructions was it done.
The Bombay High Court was on Friday hearing public interest litigation (PIL) seeking door-to-door Covid-19 vaccination of senior citizens, the specially-abled and those who cannot come to the vaccination centres.
Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, to whom this query was marked, replied that to ensure that there is no wastage of vaccines and there is a proper medical facility to ensure that no one suffers AEFI (Adverse events following immunization), door-to-door vaccination is not possible.
The bench then said: “We are not trying to advise the government, we just want positive efforts towards vaccinating people.”
Not finding a satisfactory answer from the Central government, the high court bench turned their attention to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Advocate Anil Sakhre, representing the BMC, put forth a letter shot off by the Mumbai municipal commissioner to the central government asking for permission to conduct door-to-door vaccination for those who are bedridden.
Seeing the letter, Chief Justice asked, “Have you always waited for permission from the Centre? Mumbai was the first state to ‘chase the virus’. It was a catchy phrase. Did the municipal commissioner take the permission from the central government? These were innovations that you thought of. We have always appreciated the work of the Mumbai municipal corporation. Then why is it that you are waiting for them to give you orders?”
The court then asked the BMC under whom the vaccine was administered in April to a senior political leader at his home. The court had earlier also raised the issue saying that this cannot be a privilege of a few while other senior citizens and bedridden people are unable to access vaccines.
Sakhre told the court that the vaccine was not administered by BMC to that politician, to which the court replied, “If the BMC has not done it then who has done it?
The government pleader sought a week’s time to find out at whose instructions was the jab administered at the politician’s house.
The Maharashtra government later told the high court that it needed some time to get details of the vaccination of the politician. The court has granted time till Monday to the Maharashtra government to give details on the matter.
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Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/did-not-provide-home-vaccination-senior-politician-bmc-tells-bombay-hc-1813790-2021-06-11
