Upholding Manipur High court’s directions on pandemic management, Justice Chandrachud said, “Your standard quarantine centres were pathetic. There were no separate washrooms for male and female. Healthcare workers did not change the beddings regularly. The High Court has expressed a calibrated order. We are not going to give you a character certificate”.
TFM News Service
The Supreme Court has dismissed a special leave petition filed by the Manipur State Government challenging the High Court of Manipur’s order in which the court had directed the state government to frame exhaustive rules to regulate the state’s functioning towards combating Covid-19 in the Manipur.
The matter listed before the bench of Justice DY Chandrachud, Vikram Nath and Hima Kohli.
While dismissing the petition, Justice Chandrachud, the presiding judge of the bench orally remarked that the high court was absolutely justified in passing the directions, said a report by LiveLaw.in.
He also remarked that “Our High Courts were bastions of ensuring that justice was done during the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Giving a stern remark on the condition of quarantine centres maintained by the Manipur government, Justice Chandrachud said, “Your standard quarantine centres were pathetic. There were no separate washrooms for male and female. Healthcare workers did not chance the beddings regularly. The High Court has expressed a calibrated order. We are not going to give you a character certificate”.
The state government had approached the Supreme Court assailing the Manipur High Court’s order passed by the division bench of Justice Lanusungkum Jamir and Kh Nobin Singh on July 16, 2020.
The High Court had directed the state government to constitute a “committee of Experts” that may advise the government as to the course of action that may be adopted to prevent the spread of Covid-19, after holding regular deliberations with all; the stakeholders.
The bench had reiterated that in order to tackle the Covid crisis, the government needs to make a long term and a shot term plans.
The court observed that even though the state government had been trying its “best level” to contain the pandemic, there was no information regarding the same in the public domain.
It had also ordered that the government shall frame exhaustive rules and regulations to regulate its functioning towards combating the crisis or modify suitably the existing SOP, depending upon the change of circumstances touching on all aspects of the matter and keeping in mind the shortcomings, difficulties, drawbacks, complaints from the public etc., to meet any kind of eventuality.