The Supreme Court today pulled up the Delhi government over cases filed against doctors

Supreme Court of India

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The Supreme Court told the Delhi government today, Doctors cannot be threatened for bringing out the truth rebuking it sharply for a police case filed against a doctor who had taken a video of the situation inside a government hospital and shared it. The doctor, who worked in a north Delhi hospital was suspended and a First Information Report was filed against him.

The court said while hearing the case regarding the treatment of Covid-19 patients in the city's hospitals and said, You can't threaten doctors for bringing out the truth

The bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MR Shah said, You cannot shoot the messengers. You cannot suppress the truth. Stop harassing the doctors, stop registering FIRs against them. Let them do their job. Make sure the harassment is stopped right away,

In the last hearing about the matter taken up suo motu, the court had sharply rebuked Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Gujarat governments for their handling of the pandemic and sought a status report on the facilities made for Covid-19 patients and the management of hospital staff.

The Supreme Court had said, Covid-19 patients are treated worse than animals. In one case, a body was found in the garbage. Patients are dying and nobody is there to even attend to them. The situation in Delhi was horrendous, horrific and pathetic and seeking response from the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash hospital, which made headlines earlier this month over media reports about the conditions inside..

The court had said, Covid-19 patients are treated worse than animals.

Today, the court questioned if the Delhi government's action against doctors was not meant to suppress the truth. Several videos have come out.. You do not want the truth to come out.

The judges said, We are not leaving anything to chances directing the government to focus no remedial measures for patient care and disposal of dead bodies.

The Centre on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that it will issue a direction to all the states under the Disaster Management Act to pay timely salaries and remunerations to all doctors and healthcare workers and any breach would be considered be a criminal offence. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, made a statement before the apex court that the Centre is willing to make non-payment of salary a criminal offence under the Disaster Management Act.

Mehta contended before the bench that the Centre will issue a direction under Section 10 of the Disaster Management Act. A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M.R. Shah asked the Centre to issue necessary directions to states and Union Territories, and sought a compliance report in four weeks. The response from the Centre came on a petition filed by a doctor, Arushi Jain, on quarantine facilities for medical professionals involved in the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

The counsel for the petitioner argued before the court that salaries were not being paid regularly to the healthcare workers involved in Covid-19 treatment, and doctors who were treating Covid-19 patients were not quarantined unless they were under the high-risk category. Mehta submitted that even five-star accommodations have been provided to the doctors, and if there are any lapses, then it will be addressed.

The top court noted that non-adherence to the Centre's direction by states will be treated as an offence under the Disaster Management Act and sections of the Indian Penal Code. The Centre's counsel agreed to undertake to issue an order to the states and Union Territories to ensure that timely salaries are paid to the doctors and healthcare workers. The Centre also agreed to modify its May 15 order, and doctors coming in touch with Covid-19 patients will have a quarantine period of one week only, and after one week they will be checked whether to extend this period.

The apex court declined to entertain the submission of the petitioner's counsel to ask the states to furnish affidavits on places of quarantine. The bench noted that necessary orders will be issued with regard to quarantine of doctors and issues with salary by the Centre on Thursday. Mehta also assured the apex court to issue a new order for suitable alternative accommodation to doctors and healthcare workers. The matter will come up for hearing after four weeks.

The court has asked the Delhi government to file a better affidavit. The case will be heard again on Friday. After the court's rebuke last Friday, Union home minister Amit Shah had held a series of meetings with the Chief Minister and health minister of Delhi, and political parties of the National Capital Region which includes Delhi and its neighbouring areas.