Five-Star COVID Facility For Judiciary: Delhi HC Refutes It Asked Delhi Govt For Such An Order

New Delhi: News of a Delhi Government reserving 100 rooms as COVID health facility for the use of Justices, other judicial officers of Delhi High Court, and their families in Delhi’s five-star Ashoka Hotel hogged the headlines for the better part of Tuesday and needless to say, came in for much criticism.

However, confronting the Delhi Government, a Division Bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli clarified that contrary to what the order suggests, no such request has been made by the Delhi High Court.

During the hearing, the Bench stated that the media coverage regarding the order was misleading. “This is very misleading, High Court has not made any such request and no communication was made in this regard. ” Justice Sanghi observed, LiveLaw.in reported.

The Bench further said that the order has been passed on April 25 by Geeta Grover SDM Chanakyapuri and paragraph 6 is misleading as it states that the request has been made by the Delhi High Court for setting up such a facility.

The Bench further said, “No such request was made by us that set up a facility at this hotel or that hotels. The purpose of the meeting was that Judiciary, particularly the Subordinate judiciary who have to go to the Courts, have been infected and their families have been infected. We have already lost two Judicial officers. All that we wanted was, in case they need admission, there may be some facility available. And that has been converted to such an order.”

“You don’t have oxygen, and you are talking about having 100 beds facility for us. It’s unfortunate.” Justice Rekha Palli was quoted as saying. “The problem is you are passing orders left right and centre without actually bothering or meaning to do anything about it. Like you say you are making a facility when we didn’t even ask for it, and you are passing an order and attaching to so and so hospital which has no manpower, doctors, oxygen, no equipment or ventilators, etc. But you have done your job on paper,” Justice Sanghi remarked.

“Can we as an institution say that create a special facility for us? Will this not be blatantly discriminatory that people can’t get treatment and there is a facility in a five-star hotel for us” the Bench further added.

The Bench stated that the projection of such an order is that the Court has taken the matter to benefit itself or the Government has done it to appease Court.

Advocate Rahul Mehra submitted that media’s perception cannot be controlled by anyone, and what they do and how they twist or turn is for them to do. “Can we as an institution say that create a special facility for us? Will this not be blatantly discriminatory that people can’t get and we say you reserve 100 beds in a five-star hotel for us?” the Bench observed.

“Media projections are done God knows how,” Mehra said. “Media is not wrong in pointing this out as the order is wrong. You cannot create an exclusive facility like this. ” the Bench was quoted as saying in the report.