Hear AAP govt’s plea on reserving 80 pc ICU beds for COVID patients: SC to HC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to grant any interim relief against the Delhi High Court order staying the AAP government’s decision to reserve 80 per cent ICU beds in 33 private hospitals for COVID-19 patients and ordered urgent hearing on the plea on November 12.

The top court asked the AAP government to approach the Delhi High Court, directing it to hear on Thursday the plea that was earlier listed before a division bench on November 27. A vacation bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and BR Gavai took note of the urgent plea of the Delhi government on the ground of a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in the national capital. The bench ordered that the matter be listed before the concerned division bench in the Delhi High Court on November 12 and it shall be open for the parties to submit such pleading before the bench as may be advised. At the outset, Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, appearing for Delhi government, said this is not an adversarial litigation and it wants to continue with the 80 percent reservation of ICU beds for COVID-19 patients after reviewing the situation and discontinuation of the same after few weeks when the situation normalises.

The bench asked Jain to have a look at the order passed by the division bench which says it was on the request of the appellant (Delhi government) that the hearing was adjourned to November 27.

Jain replied that the counsel for Delhi government engaged to argue that day was diabetic and was not fit to argue the case and hence an adjournment was sought, but it cannot be November 27, as COVID cases are rising in the national capital.