MUMBAI:
RTI and social activist,
Saket Gokhale, on Saturday filed a petition before Bombay high court (HC) for orders to get information he had sought on the vaccine trials and efficacy, on an urgent basis. He has sought directions to Drug Controller General of India to bring details of the Covid-19 Covaxin’s safety and effectiveness, in public domain. The vaccine is by Bharat Biotech.
Gokhale said he had requested information in an RTI application in what he said is also the general public’s “Right to Know” and also data that would pertain to “life and liberty”.
Gokhale, in a petition filed for a hearing via videoconference, said that while the
vaccination drive in India begins on January 16 and that Covaxin is safe and provides a “robust immune response”, data from the company given to the DCGI ought to be made public too.
He said he is compelled to invoke the extraordinary jurisdiction of the HC under Article 226 “to remedy the damage caused to the general public of India through the violation of the fundamental right to life and liberty...by failure to provide information under Sec 7(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 within 48 hours in a matter pertaining to life and liberty”.
On January 3, the authorities issued a press release “that
Covid vaccines of Serum Institute of India (named Covishield) and Bharat Biotech (Covaxin) were approved for restricted use in emergency situation.”