Supreme Court directs Centre to ensure Delhi’s oxygen issue is resolved before Monday midnight

Representational Image

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has ordered the central government to ensure that the issue of oxygen shortage in the Delhi hospitals, amid the second wave of deadly COVID-19, is resolved before Monday (May 3) midnight.

The top court in its order emphasised upon the fact that it is the very lives of the citizens which is in question here, adding that, the lives of citizens won’t be put in jeopardy in this battle of shifting responsibility of supply of oxygen in the national capital. 

“The protection of the lives of citizens is paramount in times of a national crisis and the responsibility falls on both the central government and the GNCTD to cooperate with each other to ensure that all possible measures are taken to resolve the situation,” said a three-judge bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud.

The apex court also directed the government and concerned authorities to be prepared for emergency situations. 

“We direct the central government in collaboration with the states to prepare a buffer stock of oxygen to be used for emergency purposes to ensure supply lines continue to function even in unforeseen circumstances. The location of the emergency stocks shall be decentralised so as to be immediately available if the normal supply chain is disrupted to any hospital for any reason,” the bench said.

Adding that the emergency stocks shall be set aside within four days. The top court also ordered the authorities to replenish this emergency stock on a day-to-day basis.

“The emergency stocks shall be created within the next four days. The replenishment of the emergency stocks will also be monitored on a real-time basis through the virtual control room in active consultation with each state/UT. This is in addition to the day to day allocations,” it added.

Many petitions have also urged the Supreme Court to intervene and put in place an uniform national policy on admissions to hospitals in the view of rising COVID-19 cases. 

“Till the formulation of such a policy by the central government, no patient shall be denied hospitalisation or essential drugs in any state/UT for lack of local residential proof of that state/UT or even in the absence of identity proof,” the bench said.

Lastly, the top court added that coercive action will be taken if any individual, seeking help on any platform, is harassed. 

“The central government and state governments shall notify all chief secretaries, directors-general of police, commissioners of police that any clampdown on information on social media or harassment caused to individuals seeking/delivering help on any platform will attract a coercive exercise of jurisdiction by this court. The registrar (judicial) is also directed to place a copy of this order before all district magistrates in the country,” it said in an order uploaded on the SC website late on Sunday night.

“There should be free flow of information; we should hear voices of citizens. This is a national crisis. There should not be any presumption that the grievances raised on the Internet are always false. Let a strong message be sent to all the DGPs that there should not be any kind of clampdown,” the bench had said while reserving its order on April 30.

(With inputs from Agency)