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SC hearing in Covid case on hold as Justice Chandrachud tests positive
A circular issued by the top court administration on Wednesday evening confirmed that the suo motu bench will not sit on Thursday and a fresh date for listing of the cases shall be notified later.
Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, who heads the Supreme Court bench scanning the Centre’s policy and preparedness in management of the second Covid-19 wave, has tested positive for coronavirus, said the court administration on Wednesday.
The bench, which also includes justices L Nageswara Rao and S Ravindra Bhat, was supposed to take up the suo motu (on its own motion) matter on Thursday. However, the case will now get deferred to some other date because justice Chandrachud is indisposed.
A circular issued by the top court administration on Wednesday evening confirmed that the suo motu bench will not sit on Thursday and a fresh date for listing of the cases shall be notified later.
Under the circumstances, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, who is the master of roster, has the option of either constituting another three-judge bench with some other senior judge to hear the suo motu matter next week, or let the two other judges of the existing bench resume the hearing.
The last hearing in this case on Monday encountered technically glitches, compelling the bench to defer it on Thursday. The judges also observed that adjournment will enable them go through the central government’s detailed affidavit on vaccination policies and some other pertinent issues.
In its affidavit, the Centre justified the vaccination policy that allowed differential pricing of vaccines between them and the states, while also urging the bench to refrain from interfering with the policy matters.
Meanwhile, on Friday, a bench of justices Ashok Bhushan and MR Shah will take up another suo motu case registered last year to consider plight of the migrant workers during the pandemic.
