Doctors cannot be threatened for bringing out the truth, the Supreme Court told the Delhi government today, rebuking it sharply for the cases it filed against them. "You can't threaten doctors for bringing out the truth," the court said while hearing the case regarding the treatment of coronavirus patients in the city's hospitals.
"You cannot shoot the messengers. You cannot suppress the truth. Stop harassing the doctors, stop registering FIRs against them. Let them do their job. Make sure the harassment is stopped right away," said the bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MR Shah.
In the last hearing about the matter taken up suo motu, the court had sharply rebuked Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Gujarat governments for their handling of the pandemic and sought a status report on the facilities made for COVID-19 patients and the management of hospital staff.
The court -- which earlier said coronavirus patients are "treated worse than animals" -- today questioned if the Delhi government's action is not meant to "suppress the truth".
"Several videos have come out... You do not want the truth to come out," the judges said.
"We are not leaving anything to chances," the judges said, directing the government to focus no remedial measures for patient care and disposal of dead bodies.
The court has asked the Delhi government to file a better affidavit. The case will be heard again on Friday.
