HC denies requesting 5-star Covid facility

HC denies requesting 5-star Covid facility

Reports About Spl Treatment Sparked Furore

Aamir.khan2@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:28.04.2021 

Deputy CM Manish Sisodia on Tuesday night issued directions for immediate withdrawal of the order to set aside 100 rooms at the five-star Ashoka Hotel for exclusive Covid care for judges, judicial officers and their family members, after the Delhi high court took suo motu cognisance of media reports and issued notice to the government.

“This is very misleading. The high court hasn’t made any such request. There is absolutely no communication in this regard. We are taking note in this regard,” the HC said.

Earlier sources said Sisodia has asked for the file to find out how the order was passed. “Not even the deputy CM, who is the nodal minister for Covid management or the health minister were aware of the order. No copy of the order has been sent to them either,” sources, pleading anonymity, said.

A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli took a strict view of the April 25 order. The bench asked if, as an institution, it could go to the extent of asking the Delhi government to create a special facility for judges. “Will this not be patently discriminatory? People are not getting beds… We as an institution will ask for preferential treatment?” it added.

Ashoka Hotel, Delhi

‘We wanted to highlight Covid-19 impact on subordinate judiciary’

On Monday the media had reported that the Delhi government has ordered 100 rooms in Ashok Hotel to be converted into Covid health facility for the use of Delhi HC judges, other judicial officers and their families. Reports also said that an order was issued by sub-divisional magistrate, Chanakyapuri, Geeta Grover on April 25 following a request from the high court.

On Tuesday, the court took note of the order and clarified that all they wanted was to highlight the impact of the raging pandemic, primarily on the subordinate judiciary and its officers.

The court raised the issue with senior advocate Rahul Mehra who was appearing on behalf of the Delhi government in another case related to the city’s oxygen crisis.

It was pointed out that the judicial officers of trial courts had to go to courts for want of video-conferencing facilities and many got infected. “We have lost two judicial officers. All that we wanted was in case they needed hospitalisation, there should be facility available. But it is projected that we wanted a 100-bedded facility. This is exactly what we are telling you. You (Delhi government) are passing orders left, right and center. Projection is that either we have taken up the matter for ourselves or you are doing it to appease us,” the court said. When Mehra stated that it was the media playing a “mischievous role”, the bench stated, “Media is not wrong… Media is not wrong in pointing this out. You can’t create a facility for any class. This order is wrong.”

The court’s order to this effect was passed after enquiring from the Delhi HC Registrar General if such a request for setting aside rooms, or any other hotel either for judges of high court, or subordinate judiciary, or their family members, was made to the Delhi government. “We are informed that no such request has been made in respect of any hotel, much less Ashok Hotel,” it noted.