SC slams Centre, state govts on handling COVID-19 situation

The apex court bench slammed Centre and states of Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal on suo moto took cognizance of the ill-treatment being meted out to COVID patients in hospitals and also the undignified way in which bodies of COVID patients were being handled.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan issued notices to the centre and to the states of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Delhi on the suo moto congnizance taken by it on mishandling of COVID infected bodies. The apex court also issued notice to LNJP hospital of Delhi.

Singling out the Delhi government, the Supreme Court slammed the Delhi government calling its patient care during Covid-19 pandemic horrendous, horrific and pathetic.

The bench minced no words in slamming the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government for its handling of dead bodies, terming it "very sorry state of affairs". The court noted that Covid patients were treated worse than animals with dead bodies being found in garbage.

"Please see the deplorable conditions of people in hospitals, dead bodies are lying in the ward, we are concerned about the living too," said Justice SK Kaul.

Citing media reports on how bodies lie in hospitals stacked against each other, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court observed that lack of beds in hospitals is an issue of concern.

Testing has gone down from 7000 to 5000 in Delhi when it has been increased by the other states and there are more than 2000 vacant beds in Delhi hospitals since there is nobody to take care of the patients there, pointed out the bench.

"Horrific scenes from Delhi, India TV on June 19 highlighted a report on a video where patients have been in pathetic conditions. Dead bodies in the lobby, waiting area, wards, this is the state of a government hospital," said the bench.

"COVID patients are treated worse than animals. In one case, dead body was found in garbage," added the bench further. The court also said that there is no adherence to the national lockdown and no concern is shown for the dead. Relatives are not informed for days.

Asking the Delhi government to ensure that no testing is denied, court said that procedure should be simplified so more and more tests can be done. It also noted that situation in Tamil Nadu , Maharashtra and West Bengal is grim.

Former law minister Ashwini Kumar had written a letter to the CJI SA Bobde requesting the top court to take suo moto congnizance of mishandling of dead bodies amid the COVID crisis.

He had written the letter in the wake of MP and Pudicherry incident where a patient was seen tied to his bed for failing to pay the fees and a COVID infected dead body was thrown into the grave respectively.