SC orders Jain to pay ₹25,000 for not filing affidavit

NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday fined Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain ₹25,000 for failing to file on time an affidavit on what the government was doing to fight chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease that has gripped the Capital.

“You make such tall claims about what you can do. Why can’t you file an affidavit in time,” a bench of justice MB Lokur and justice Dhananjay Chandrachud asked Jain, who was represented by senior counsel CU Singh and Delhi government counsel Rahul Mehra.

“You don’t need time when people are dying of chikungunya, you should have worked overnight to prepare the affidavit,” the bench said when the advocates claimed they did not have enough time to prepare the affidavit and file it. Singh submitted the SC registry shuts on Saturday by 12 pm.

The court’s rebuke comes at a time when the Capital’s hospitals are overflowing with thousands of patients of dengue and chikungunya. Delhi has reported 5,293 cases of chikungunya and 2,133 cases of dengue, as per the latest data by municipal corporations.

Jain was to file an affidavit revealing names of officers who allegedly did not cooperate. He had made this claim in an affidavit that the court considered on September 30. The court wanted him to give evidence in support of his accusations against the officials because Jain had signed an affidavit personally.

The bench told Jain’s lawyers that he was deliberately given a short period of time. Singh pleaded the court not to impose the cost but got no positive response. The counsel blamed the Centre for the confusion.

“Delhi has an elected government but Centre through the L-G is filing an affidavit. This also created a problem,” Singh told the bench after solicitor general Ranjit Kumar sought permission to file an affidavit on behalf of the state health secretary.

The bench said it will look into the issue on Tuesday. Jain will have to deposit the fine with the SC legal services authority.