Bengaluru: Concerned over the deaths of Covid19 patients due to lack of oxygen in the state, the High Court has expressed outrage against the central government for not providing adequate oxygen to the state.
The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday imposed a 1-hour deadline and demanded an explanation of oxygen shortage in Karnataka from the Central and State governments.
The court has requested the Central government to inform any changes in the increased allocation of oxygen from the original 865 tonnes as against 1,700 tonnes requisitioned by the State.
The State government was asked to explain whether it has been utilizing only 441 tonnes of oxygen per day as on April 28 as was referred to in an order of the Supreme Court. The State government had told the High Court that it estimated the requirement at 1,400 tonnes as of April 30 whereas the Central government has allocated 802 tonnes.
A Special Division Bench comprising Chief Justice A S Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar issued the directions to both governments. It advanced the hearing on Covid-related PILs to take judicial note of the death of at least 24 Covid-19 patients in a hospital in Chamarajanagar on May 2 and 3 allegedly due to oxygen shortage.
Though the bench is in favor of ordering a judicial probe into the incident at Chamarajanagar and similar incidents, the Advocate-General said that a full-fledged inquiry can be ordered once the report of preliminary inquiry is available.
Read: Karnataka hospital denies patients died due to oxygen shortage
