Stop Harassing Doctors And Registering FIRs: Supreme Court Raps Delhi Government

Report By: Nandika Chand | Last Updated June 17, 2020

The Supreme Court has slammed the Delhi government for harassing doctors and registering FIRs against them, and said that truth cannot be suppressed. The top court questioned the government as to why it had suspended a doctor who had made a video of the pathetic conditions of a hospital.

The bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, SK Kaul and MR Shah said doctors and nurses were ‘corona warriors’ and needed to be protected. “Don’t shoot the messenger, don’t threaten doctors and health workers, support them,” the Supreme Court said. It directed the Delhi government to file an affidavit in the case.

In the last hearing (which was on Friday), the bench had described the situation in the national capital as ‘deplorable and pathetic’. The court took suo motu cognizance of media reports on the ‘horrific scenes’ at hospitals, apathy in treatment and inhumane handling of dead bodies. The Delhi government told the court that it was committed to taking care of patients, managing of bodies and raising the number of COVID-19 tests.

Home Minister Amit Shah had made a surprise visit to Delhi’s Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital on June 15 to review COVID-19 preparedness. He directed the Delhi chief secretary to install CCTV cameras in coronavirus wards of all hospitals and to ensure proper monitoring of patients. Shah had a comprehensive discussion with the doctors and officials on the outbreak.

Delhi has 44,688 confirmed COVID-19 cases with a death toll of 1,837.