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Bombay HC warns action against negligent officials for shirking responsibility during pandemic
Mumbai: The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court (HC) has taken the negligent and errant government officials to task for shirking their duties amid the coronavirus
Mumbai: The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court (HC) has taken the negligent and errant government officials to task for shirking their duties amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak and warned of initiating criminal proceedings against them in a bid to cleanse the administrative system.
It also cautioned private hospital authorities and directed them to make adequate beds available for Covid-19 patients amid an imminent spike in the viral outbreak in Aurangabad.
The court made the observation while hearing a suo motu (on its own motion) public interest litigation (PIL) on Tuesday.
The court took a strong exception and cited that its July 3 order is being flouted by public servants, who are callous in discharging their duties amid the pandemic.
A two-member division bench, comprising Justices TV Nalawade and SD Kulkarni, while hearing the report of advocate Rajendra Deshmukh, a senior counsel appointed as the amicus curiae, was informed that despite the court’s order in the June 3 hearing, many public servants are still playing truant for their Covid-19 duties.
Earlier, the court had demanded the details of the action taken against errant officials by the Aurangabad administration. Public prosecutor DR Kale submitted the action taken report before the court on Tuesday.
The PIL was filed after concerns were raised about the spike of Covid-19 positive cases and a lack of coordination between various authorities in the Aurangabad region.
Kale submitted before the court that Aurangabad civic areas would enforce nine-day lockdown restrictions from Friday (July 10) and all necessary steps would be taken to contain the spread of the viral outbreak.
The court observed that though show-cause notices were sent to private hospitals, their replies are still awaited.
It warned that Covid-19 positive cases would spike during the lockdown restrictions because of aggressive contact tracing and more hospital beds would be required to treat the fresh cases.
The court directed the Aurangabad administration to take criminal action against those private hospitals that are not complying with its orders to make beds available for Covid-19 patients.
It also cautioned errant public servants and warned of criminal proceedings against those, who remain recalcitrant, in a bid to clean up the administrative machinery.
The court will hear the PIL next on July 21.
