HC Judges to pay surprise visits to COVID facilities in Aurangabad City

The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court (HC) on Friday said that it would pay surprise visits to hospitals, quarantine, and Covid care centres in the city after it was informed that officials are shirking their responsibilities continued to be negligent in their Covid duties despite the court’s direction to initiate a suo moto public interest litigation (PIL) based on news reports on the matter. It was also submitted that there was still no discipline among public servants and Covid staff, and they remain absent from duty.

A division bench of Justice TV Nalawade and SD Kulkarni, while hearing the suo moto PIL, was informed by senior counsel Rajendra Deshmukh appointed as Amicus Curiae, that indiscipline and apathy among public servants involved in containing the spread of Covid-19 continued even though the court had issued strict directions in the previous hearing.

In light of these observations, the court said that it would pay surprise visits to hospitals, quarantine, and Covid care centres, containment zones and if it finds that staff negligence is leading to the spread of the virus, criminal action will be taken against the errant public servant or staffer, irrespective of their rank. “This court will not be sparing anyone if such lapses are found,” the bench said, posting the hearing for July 7.HC Judges to pay surprise visits to COVID facilities in Aurangabad City

The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court (HC) on Friday said that it would pay surprise visits to hospitals, quarantine, and Covid care centres in the city after it was informed that officials are shirking their responsibilities continued to be negligent in their Covid duties despite the court’s direction to initiate a suo moto public interest litigation (PIL) based on news reports on the matter. It was also submitted that there was still no discipline among public servants and Covid staff, and they remain absent from duty.

A division bench of Justice TV Nalawade and SD Kulkarni, while hearing the suo moto PIL, was informed by senior counsel Rajendra Deshmukh appointed as Amicus Curiae, that indiscipline and apathy among public servants involved in containing the spread of Covid-19 continued even though the court had issued strict directions in the previous hearing.

In light of these observations, the court said that it would pay surprise visits to hospitals, quarantine, and Covid care centres, containment zones and if it finds that staff negligence is leading to the spread of the virus, criminal action will be taken against the errant public servant or staffer, irrespective of their rank. “This court will not be sparing anyone if such lapses are found,” the bench said, posting the hearing for July 7.