The Delhi High Court today has granted more time to Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association & Ors to file their reply in response to the affidavit filed by Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Delhi Government in response to a plea seeking directions for setting up a Covid Care Facility at the Varsity.
The Court has also directed JNU and the Delhi Government to file fresh status reports before the next date of hearing.
Advocate Abhik Chimni appearing for the petitioners, informed the court that contrary to the status reports filed by the respondents, the Covid Care Centre at Sabarmati Dormitory has not yet become operational.
A Single-Judge Bench of Justice Rekha Palli was hearing a plea seeking directions to Jawaharlal Nehru University, including a direction for setting up Covid Care Facilities, a Covid-19 response team and certain oxygen facilities inside the university campus.
The petition submitted that if a resident of JNU is infected with Covid-19, the resident is required to self-isolate in a small hostel room, where they are dependent upon public kitchens, bathrooms and toilets to cater to their basic needs.
The petition stated that upon outbreak of second wave of Covid-19 in second week of April, the petitioners had written two letters to the Registrar of JNU, informing him about the alarming situation in the campus and suggesting various steps to be taken in order to mitigate the situation, but the Registrar failed to respond. As there was no contact with the Registrar, the petitioners wrote a letter to the Vice-Chancellor of JNU, but again to no avail.
Thereafter, in the light of a number of residents of JNU campus testing positive for Covid-19 virus and inaction on the part of JNU, the petitioners wrote a letter to the Additional District Magistrate, New Delhi, Mr. Karthikeyan, requesting a Covid Management Facility be set up inside the JNU campus. The ADM wrote back and provided “Guidelines for Gated Residential Complexes Desirous of Setting up small COVID Care Facility by Resident Welfare Associations/Residential Societies/Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs)” issued by the Directorate General of Health Services, Govt. of NCT of Delhi, furthermore, informing the petitioners that the Sub-Divisional Magistrate would visit the University campus in order to inspect if the University infrastructure is adequate for conducting a Covid-19 facility.
The Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Ankur Meshram, upon the request of the petitioners inspected the building proposed to be Covid Care Centre and stated that the said building is adequate. The SDM informed the petitioners the said building can be approved to be a Covid Care Centre subject to JNU sharing the responsibility of maintaining such a facility.
On the last date of hearing JNU had filed a status report stating that the University had identified Sabarmati Dormitory to be utilized as Covid Care Centre and the same was pending approval of Government of NCT of Delhi. Advocate Rizwan appearing on behalf of the Delhi Government informed the court that a decision on JNU’s proposal would be taken within two weeks.
The next date for hearing is September 17.