The Congress criticised the Supreme Court’s intervention and the directions that followed in managing the Covid situation. The party said such an intervention will lead to further centralisation of the pandemic management and will do no good to solve the crisis.
He was referring to the Supreme Court transferring to itself the Covid-related cases in various high courts.
Party spokesman, Rajya Sabha MP and leading lawyer Abhishek Singhvi said the intervention was totally uncalled for. “Unfortunately, it is wrong, wrong and wrong. 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,” Singhvi told reporters here on Friday, commenting on the apex court’s directions on Thursday.
He said the directions, issued on the very last day of the incumbent Chief Justice’s term of office, have virtually paralysed ongoing action in the country giving a healing touch to local problems at the local level.
“It is wrong because the SC 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,” he felt.
‘Demoralising’
The Congress leader said such orders have “a demoralising, chilling, paralysing and negative effect” on the excellent work being done by other non governmental institutions of governance, including High Courts. He feared that the order may have the “unintended effect of legitimation of the utter failure” of the Centre on all fronts of Covid management.
He charged that “This government defines shortages, shortcomings, and short-sightedness. The priorities of the Prime Minister and Home Minister reflect that they have entirely become inefficient, incompetent, and indifferent towards the Covid crisis.” he said.
“All venerable institutions have to realise that their primary job is to protect the lives of citizens of India, not the reputation of the Centre. Just like net neutrality, the nation needs ‘vaccine neutrality’ from the Government,” he added.
Singhvi said patients are dying while their families search in vain for hospital beds. “Supplies of oxygen and medicines are running low, leading to robberies of drugs from hospitals. Crematoriums and burial grounds cannot cope with the sheer number of corpses,” he added.