New bench to hear PILS on Covid at Gujarat HC

AHMEDABAD: The Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court on Thursday assigned a suo motu PIL and other related pleas about the Coronavirus outbreak in the state to a new bench.

The earlier bench had passed some strong observations about the state government’s handling of the crisis and especially the conditions at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.

Now, the cases will be heard by Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice J B Pardiwala, said a notification by the HC Registrar. Justice Pardiwala was part of the earlier bench too.

Chief Justice Nath also formed another division bench, comprising Justices R M Chhaya and Ilesh Vora, to hear urgent matters through video conference. As per the new roster, Nath and Pardiwala’s bench will hear Coronavirus-related petitions through video conference.

The PIL about Coronavirus, initiated by the high court on its own (suo motu) and other similar petition was first assigned to the bench of Chief Justice Nath and Justice A J Shastri.

Then, at the beginning of May, Nath created a new division bench of Justices Pardiwala and Vora.

This bench conducted hearings and passed some scathing remarks about the way the state government was handling the pandemic.

In its order on Saturday the bench had said the condition of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital was “pathetic, distressing and painful,” and it was “as good as dungeon”.

It was the responsibility of health minister Nitin Patel and senior health department officials to deal with the situation, the bench headed by Justice Pardiwala had remarked.

The number of Coronavirus cases in Gujarat rose to 15,572 on Thursday while the death toll reached 960, according to the state health department.