HC pulls up state govt for not submitting compliance report
The Rajasthan high court (HC) on Thursday pulled up the state government for not submitting a compliance report following the standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the central government to vaccinate Pakistani migrants.
The court directed the chief secretary to submit a detailed affidavit regarding the steps taken by the state government in every district as per the SOP.
The HC division bench, comprising Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Rameshwar Vyas, also directed the chief secretary to explain why the state government is not vaccinating the Pakistani minority migrants, who are not having prescribed identity cards for the Covid-19 vaccination, though this court has already clarified that such Pakistani minority migrants are eligible for Covid-19 vaccination as per the SOP.
On May 28, the court had asked the state government to to furnish details regarding the steps taken by the state government in every district as per the procedure given in SOP issued by the central government on “Covid-19 vaccination of persons without prescribed identity cards through Cowin”.
“No compliance report pursuant to the direction given by this court has been submitted, instead a note prepared by the chief medical and health officer, Jodhpur, and letters written by some officers and the copy of a letter written by the National Health Mission to the Health and
Family Welfare Ministry, Government of India, is placed on record. In this letter, a request is made to the Health and Family Welfare Ministry to include the Pakistani minority migrants in the SOP,” the bench observed. “It is noticed that once this court has already opined that SOP is not excluding the Pakistani minority migrants, who are eligible for Covid-19 vaccination, then it is difficult to understand that why the state government is seeking further clarification from the central government and requesting it to include the Pakistani minority migrants in the SOP,” the court said.
During the hearing, amicus curiae Sajjan Singh Rathore said that even the Pakistani minority migrants, who are declared as citizens of India, are also not being vaccinated on the ground that they are not having Aadhaar cards. The court has set June 10 as the next date of hearing.