No reason to continue case for monitoring Covid-19 steps, says Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court Thursday said there was no reason to continue the case on monitoring measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 as much care has already been taken by the Centre and state government on that front.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh, hearing a public interest litigation by lawyer Triveni Potekar, noted that the government has provided adequate healthcare facilities and is presently providing free vaccines to the public.

Central government counsel Anil Soni said the petition, filed in March 2020, was now infructuous as adequate measures have already been taken by the authorities against the virus.

The bench closed the proceedings on the petition and granted liberty to the petitioner to approach an appropriate forum again in case of any difficulty.

We see no reason to further monitor the case. Liberty is reserved with the petitioner to file proper litigation in case of difficulty, the court said.

On March 11 last year, the court had issued notice to the Centre and Delhi government on the PIL seeking proper and adequate measures to combat COVID-19.

The petition also sought directions to the Centre and the AAP-led Delhi government to make available important and relevant information on access to and availability of medical facilities for testing and treatment for the coronavirus disease.