New Delhi
The Supreme Court on Wednesday slammed the Delhi Government threatening doctors who brought out truth of poor facilities for health workers in its hospital, with a strong observation: "Don't shoot the messengers. You stop registering FIRs against doctors fighting this war against Covid."
It asked the Kejriwal government to file a 'better affidavit' by Friday, the last day before the Court goes on a short summer vacation till July 6, on whether it has reinstated those doctors who were dismissed and withdrawn the first information reports (FIRs) against them.
"Let them do their job. Make sure the harassment is stopped right away," the Court thundered.
The order of the bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MR Shah came in a suo moto proceedings, taken up by the bench the last week on the disposal of dead bodies and poor facilities in the government hospitals in the national capital. The top court had invited status reports, particularly from the state governments of Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
The court, which earlier said coronavirus patients are 'treated worse than animals,' on Wednesday questioned the Delhi government's actions in its bid to 'suppress the truth'.
"Several videos have come out. Everything is not hunky-dory... You do not want the truth to come out," the judges said, adding that, "we are not leaving anything to chances." They directed the government to focus no remedial measures for patient care and disposal of dead bodies.
HC junks PIL for rent waiver
New Delhi: The Delhi HC has dismissed a plea seeking directions to waive rent payable by tenants during COVID lockdown, saying it will be “extremely slow to interfere in contractual terms” between landlords and tenants.
The HC said a waiver of rent cannot be granted by the court as payment of rent is based on a contract between tenant and landlord and it ought to be kept in mind that even the landlords can be financially dependent on the rent. Refusing to entertain the petition, the HC also imposed cost of Rs 10,000 on the petitioner-lawyer for "wasting judicial time" and said the plea was "thoroughly misconceived and baseless". It further said the plea was a "publicity interest litigation" and not in public interest.
In its June 15 order, but made available on Wednesday, a bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan said it was not inclined to entertain the matter as it found “it is an abuse of the process of the law”.
CBSE told to decide on exams
Our Bureau / New Delhi
The SC on Wednesday asked the CBSE to consider the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic situation, and decide within a week, on the schedule of the board examinations, to conduct from July 1 to 15.
A bench comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjeev Khanna to revert to it the next week, notwithstanding the SC is going on the belated short summer vacation after Friday to meet again on July 6. It was hearing a plea by a group of parents, whose children have to appear in Class XII board examination, pleading to scrap the remaining exams and allot marks based on the internal assessment. They claim, the exams slated in July would compromise the health safety of their children. The plea says every parent cannot afford a private vehicle to send their wards to appear in the exam at different centres, and by hiring a public transport, the risk of infection would be highest. “Ensuring proper cleanliness and safety standards concerned in COVID situation in 15,000 exam centres across the length and breadth of the country, including rural sectors, would not only be risking health and life of kids but would be an exercise in futility,” says the plea.
PIL in SC registry favouring only influential
New Delhi: A Delhi-based lawyer Reepak Kansal has moved the Supreme Court, alleging that the officers in its registry favour only some law firms and lawyers for reasons best known to them, discriminating against ordinary lawyers like himself. His PIL listed for hearing on Thursday by the Bench of Justice Arun Mishra, S Abdul Nazeer and M R Shah on his plea for direction to the registry 'not to give preferences to cases filed by influential lawyers/petitioners'. His plea says there is no mechanism to address complaints against the erring officers of the registry. "There are many petitioners/lawyers who have been suffering by unequal treatment by the registry as the cases filed by some law firms/influential lawyers are immediately listed by registry ignoring the cases of ordinary petitioners/ lawyers". —Our Bureau
Plea in SC for direction to Goa assembly Speaker to decide disqualification plea
Agencies / New Delhi
The Supreme Court Tuesday agreed to hear a plea seeking direction to the Goa Assembly Speaker to decide within one month the disqualification petition against 10 MLAs, including three incumbent ministers, who had joined the BJP in July last year.
A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde sought responses within four weeks from the office of the Assembly speaker and the 10 MLAs on a plea filed by Girish Chodankar, the President of Goa Pradesh Congress Committee.
"Issue notice returnable in four weeks," said the bench, also comprising Justices M R Shah and A S Bopanna, conducting the matter through video-conferencing.
In his plea filed through advocate Sahil Tagotra, Chodankar has sought directions to restrain these 10 MLAs from participating in Assembly proceedings during the pendency of disqualification petition.
