In a strong-worded remark, Congress on Friday termed Supreme Court’s intervention on COVID-19 management was “totally uncalled for.”
“Unfortunately, it is wrong, wrong and wrong,” Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Manu Singhvi said in a virtual press conference.
The Supreme Court on Thursday took suo motu cognisance of the prevailing grim situation and said it wanted a “national plan” on issues, including supply of oxygen and essential drugs for treatment of patients infected with the virus. It further said it might withdraw certain issues pending before at least six high courts and deal with them.
The apex court appointed senior advocate Harish Salve as an amicus curiae to assist it in the suo motu proceedings.
“It is wrong because it is not suo motu ameliorative but a reaction to palliative High Court orders. It is wrong because decentralisation not over centralisation—judicial, administrative and societal—is the need of the hour,” Mr. Singhvi said.
“It is wrong because the SC has not done, and perhaps because of its apex nature could not have done, what diverse HCs have done, especially what the Delhi HC did at 9 pm to give some relief to the oxygen starved aam aadmi of Delhi,” he added.
“It is wrong because the SC should not at the 11th hour, with one day’s notice, and on the very last day of the incumbent CJIs term of office, have virtually paralysed ongoing action in the country giving a healing touch to local problems at the local level,” he said adding that the apex court is ill equipped to deal with such local issues, local
logistics and should not supplant that local touch on the erroneous and fallacious touchstone of uniformity.
“ It is wrong because such orders have a demoralising, chilling, paralysing and negative effect on the excellent work being done by other non governmental institutions of governance, including HCs,” he said.
Mr. Singhvi also said the interference may have the “unintended effect of legitimation of the utter failure of the central government on all fronts in its anti-Covid policies and actions.” It in fact enhances the closed and incestuous circle of the Central government or connected/ affiliated persona and seeks to find a solution from amongst those responsible for the crisis in the first place, he added.
Mr. Singhvi accused the Supreme Court of having been unable or unwilling to take hard, concrete steps for solution and significant mitigation of Covid-related hardships
over the last 15 months has in fact intervened at the peak of the crisis in a manner which may well retard and impede effective ongoing solution oriented measures.