New Delhi:The Delhi High Court's division bench could not hear the petition filed against the decision of the Single Bench to stay the order of the state government to reserve 80 per cent beds in its ICU for corona patients.
Since the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain was not available during the hearing on behalf of the Delhi government, Chief Justice DN Patel adjourned the hearing for September 28.
Terming the Single bench's order arbitrary and illegal, the Delhi government challenged the decision and said that the corona cases are rapidly increasing.
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The state government alleged that the Single Bench, in its September 22 order, did not take into account the measures taken by the Delhi government to deal with the epidemic and the order will cause a lot of problems for private nursing homes and hospitals.
On September 22, Justice Naveen Chawla's bench had stayed the Delhi government's order that needed private hospitals to reserve 80 per cent of beds in their ICUs for Corona patients. The court said the Delhi government's order was against Article 21 of the Constitution and that the disease itself can never become the basis of reservation.
The petition filed by the Association of Healthcare Providers before the Single Bench sought the cancellation of the Delhi government's order. It also added that the Delhi government's order was taken without prior consultations and would make it difficult to treat other patients suffering who are not corona positive.
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The petition said that 40 per cent of ICU beds have been reserved for treatment of corona patients in private hospitals.
The single bench has sought answers from the Center and the Delhi government.
