At a Covid-19 centre in New Delhi. (Express Photo: Amit Mehra, File)The Delhi High Court on Tuesday stayed an order passed by the AAP government earlier this month in which it directed 33 major private hospitals to reserve 80 per cent of their ICU beds for Covid-19 patients.
The court, while issuing notice to the state and Centre, observed the order appeared to be violative of the fundamental rights of people and prima facie was also arbitrary and unreasonable.
The order was passed on a petition filed by Association of Healthcare Providers India. The petitioners had argued that the order would hamper the treatment of non-Covid emergency patients, and had been passed without consultation with the private hospitals. It also argued that it would expose non-Covid patients to the infection.
The Delhi government earlier cited the surge in Covid-19 cases in Delhi as a reason to pass the order. However, the HC observed the disease itself could not be ground for discrimination.
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
For all the latest Delhi News, download Indian Express App.