New Delhi: With coronavirus infections rising in the country over the past one week, the Delhi High Court has directed the Central government to submit a status report within six weeks.
Stressing that the pandemic is “far from over”, the high court has sought information on the policy for COVID-19 sample collection, transport and testing.
The directive from Justice Anish Dayal’s bench was issued after a contempt plea was filed by Dr Rohit Jain, who alleged that authorities had failed to act on previous court orders mandating the establishment of minimum standards for sample collection and transportation.
The court noted that no update had been provided regarding the outcome of a key meeting held on May 30, despite being informed by Central Government Standing Counsel (CGSC) Monika Arora that a status report would be submitted.
In that meeting, the Centre decided to constitute four expert sub-committees — comprising specialists in pathology, biochemistry, haematology and microbiology from Central government hospitals — to formulate standard operating procedures (SoPs) for sample collection, set up collection centres and prepare a policy for transport and storage of COVID-19 samples.
The high court said that a contempt petition may not stand, given that such a decision had been taken, but expressed concern over the apparent lack of follow-up.
“Even though on first blush, the Contempt Petition may not subsist… the vacuum, if any, of steps taken post the meeting of 30th May 2023, is a serious issue,” Justice Dayal said.
Observing that there are “wide reports of COVID-19 being active in the community,” the court highlighted the urgency of formalising protocols and submitting a clear status update.
The court directed government counsel Arora to personally ensure that the concerned officers are apprised of the order and a detailed status report is filed within six weeks. The matter will next be heard on July 18.
According to Ministry of Health & Family Welfare data, there were 3,961 active COVID cases in India as of 8 am on Monday, while 28 deaths have been reported.
In Delhi, the active cases stood at 294.