Plea in SC against jab for ‘prioritised age groups’

A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Centre’s decision on Covid-19 vaccination only to “prioritised age groups” above 45 years and sought doses for all citizens.

The plea filed by political activist and columnist Tehseen Poonawalla said there has been a steep increase in daily Covid cases in the country, with 1.31 lakh new cases as of April 9.

This has necessitated an everincreasing need to allow vaccination for Covid to all age groups and especially to all persons with co-morbidities who have not been given the option to be protected by the vaccine. “This arbitrary bar on the age-groups coupled with the sudden rise in the number of infections due to

Covid disease... necessitates immediate steps to be taken to ensure that vaccination is not only available to persons aged above 45 years but to all such persons, even below the age of 45-years, who are employed in work that requires them to go outside every day as well as all persons with any of the co-morbid conditions as vulnerable groups,” the plea said.

“The bar on availability of approved vaccines to persons below the age of 45 years, despite having co-morbid conditions, is arbitrary, unreasonable and ultra vires Article 21, which guarantees a right to life, not being a mere animal existence but including within it the right to dignity and appropriate healthcare as well as Article 14, which envisages a right to equality to all the citizens,” it said.