'Free flow of information necessary' Voices of citizens seeking help should not be silenced, warns SC

‘If any action is taken against such posts, we will treat it as contempt of court’

The apex court said hostels, temples, churches and other places be opened for converting them as Covid-19 care centres.: File picture

TT Bureau, Agencies   |   New Delhi   |  30.04.21: There should be no clampdown on citizens seeking help on the presumption that they are raising false grievances on the internet, the Supreme Court said on Friday, terming the second wave of Covid-19 cases as a national crisis.

"There should be free flow of information, we should hear voices of citizens," said a bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud, and asked the Centre, states and all DGPs not to take any action against anyone posting a shortage of oxygen, beds or doctors as spreading rumour. We are in a human crisis, the bench said.

“If any action is taken against such posts by citizens in distress, we will treat it as contempt of the court,” the bench also comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and S Ravindra Bhat said.

There should not be any presumption that (the) grievances raised on the internet by citizens are false, the court reiterated.

The observations assume significance in view the recent decision of the Uttar Pradesh administration to prosecute people under the National Security Act for allegedly raising false alarms on social media.

The hearing before the top court on the suo motu case for devising national policy for Covid-19 management is underway.

The bench is taking up issues such as projected demand of oxygen in the country at present and near future and as to how the government intended to allocate it to critically-affected states and about the monitoring mechanism to ensure supply.

Observing that even frontline doctors and healthcare workers were not getting beds for treatment, the bench said the healthcare infrastructure inherited over the past 70 years was not sufficient and the situation was grim.

The apex court said hostels, temples, churches and other places be opened for converting them as Covid-19 care centres.

It said the Centre should adopt a national immunisation model as poor people will not be able to pay for vaccines.

"What happens to the marginalised and SC/ST population? Should they be left to the mercy of private hospitals, it asked.

The court also said the government must consider a National Immunisation Programme for various vaccines and must think of providing free of cost vaccination to all citizens.

"Fifty-nine crore Indians in the 18-45 age group constitute a large segment. How will the poor and marginalised people find money to get vaccinated? We cannot have this private sector model. We must follow national immunisation model which we had followed since independence,” NDTV quoted the bench as saying.

It said the healthcare sector has come to a breakpoint and retired doctors or officials could be re-employed in this crisis.

The top court also said that private vaccine manufacturers cannot be allowed to decide which state should get how much.

"Why is the government not buying 100 per cent of doses produced at this time? Why should there be two prices for the centre and the states... what is the rationale," NDTV quoted the top court as saying.

"The centre has said that they are leaving 50 per cent procurement to be done by states. Will this promote equity,” Justice Chandrachud asked.

While a mass vaccination drive is set to start on Saturday to inoculate everyone above 18 years, many states have red-flagged inadequate supply of the jabs and said they won’t be able to start the process on the day.

"Pricing issues are extraordinarily serious. 50 per cent of doses, which will be available free of charge, will be used for vaccinating frontline workers and those who are above 45 years of age. Remaining doses will be used for adults who are 18 and above," the Supreme Court said.

It allowed the Centre to give a powerpoint presentation on Covid-19 preparation.

The bench on April 22 took note of the pandemic situation due to sudden surge in COVID-19 cases as also in mortality and said it expected the Centre to come out with a national plan to deal with distribution of essential services and supplies, including oxygen and drugs.