The Delhi High Court has expressed its displeasure over the plea filed by Congress leader Jagdish Sharma seeking a direction to the Centre and the Delhi Government to make arrangement of essential services and supplies for the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic as anticipated on account of the grave threat posed by the new Omicron variant throughout India.
“It is a frivolous petition. Are you living on Mars? Delhi is now dealing with a declining number of cases. You withdraw it or we will dismiss it with cost,” said the bench headed by Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh. The counsel for the petitioner then withdrew the plea.
Filed by Advocates Rudra Vikram Singh and Manish Kumar on behalf of Jagdish Sharma, the plea had highlighted the havoc caused by the outbreak of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic early last year. It pointed out that the pandemic, in last two years, has dangerously devoured the life of citizen of the country at the extraordinary rapidity with extraordinary fatalities and led to a situation where the entire health infrastructure of the country collapsed.
It further pointed out that the Delhi Chief Minister in May last year assured the people to build adequate infrastructure in the capital to face any forthcoming pandemic situation, however there is no update on the same.
Contending that five Indian states will witness assembly elections in a couple of months and the State Governments are busy in election campaigns neglecting the emergent threat posed by the new variant, the plea had sought for postponement of the coming elections to contain the spread of the deadly virus.
“Article 21 of the Constitution of India recognizes every individual’s right to life and liberty, which also includes the right of life, life with dignity and health as held by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in various cases. The Supreme Court also held that the maintenance and improvement of public health have to rank high amongst the state’s obligations, as these are indispensable to the very existence of the community,” read the plea.