ILNS: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday reacted angrily to a news item, which had quoted a Delhi government notification, saying that 100 rooms of the Ashoka Hotel in Chanakyapuri would be converted into Covid care, exclusively for Justices and other Judicial Officers of the Delhi High Court and their family members.
The bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli made it clear in a suo motu case that the court never asked for such a facility and said, “You cannot create a facility exclusively for any class, this is completely wrong.”
Justice Sanghi said, “A lot of coverage about Ashoka Hotel (has happened). This is very misleading. The High Court has not suggested anything and absolutely no request has been made by us or the High Court about making it a Covid facility.
“Para 6 (of the government notification) says a request has been made by Delhi High Court. We haven’t made any requests. The only purpose of having that meeting was the judiciary and subordinate judiciary, who have to hold court in physical, we have already lost two judicial officers. It was for them. All that we wanted was in case they need any facility, they should get one. Where was this question of giving us 100 rooms? It was not at all discussed. This is one such example that we are asking for 100 beds in Ashoka from a hospital that has no facility and paper says that we requested.”
Justice Palli said, “Hotels are anyway vacant, what are you trying to say?”
Senior Advocate Rahul Mehra, representing Delhi government, said, “I am not aware about the matter My Lord. This is the media and as to how they manipulate… The entire Aerocity hotel is taken over…”
Justice Sanghi said, “My point is, you are saying it’s for the High Court and other Judges. Our request was not that. Please look into this. Can you imagine that being an institution we can say such things, that ‘make us a facility’? People are not getting beds and we reserve 100 beds for us?”
Mr Mehra said, “Media projections are done (that way). Please don’t take this (in a) wrong (way).”
Justice Sanghi said, “You cannot create a facility exclusively for any class. This is completely wrong.”
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Mr Mehra said, “My Lords, similar thing has been done by the SCBA. They have proposed to vacate a chamber and make it a Covid facility for their members. This could be projected wrongly by the media.”
The court said it was taking cognizance and issuing notice.