Supreme Court reprimands U.P. government over missing COVID-19 patient
The Hindu
NEW DELHI
The Supreme Court on Friday admonished the Uttar Pradesh government for its inability to find out the whereabouts of an octogenarian COVID-19 patient who disappeared from a hospital ward at Prayagraj in May last year.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana said it has become a “habit” for the State to wake up only when contempt action stared down at it.
The State government had moved the top court after the Allahabad High Court took it to task while hearing the habeas corpus petition filed by the son of the missing senior citizen.
The High Court had directed the State in April to produce the missing man on May 6, failing which the State’s officers were asked to be personally present in court.
Aggrieved, the State government and several officials moved the Supreme Court, asking how they were expected to produce a man who has been missing for over a year.
“How can he be missing? He was unable to walk! He was in a hospital!” the court asked the State government’s lawyers.
Justice Hima Kohli, on the Bench, asked the State to consider the agony of the man’s family.
“We are judges and therefore, cannot act like Mughals of a bygone era ... the writ courts in the guise of doing justice cannot transcend the barriers of law,” the High Court of Karnataka observed while setting aside an order of a single judge, who in 2016 had extended the lease of a public premises allotted to a physically challenged person to 20 years contrary to 12-year period stipulated in the law.
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday declined to interfere, at present, in the investigation against a Bharatiya Janata Party worker, who is among the accused persons facing charges of circulating obscene clips, related to “morphed” images and videos clips related to Prajwal Revanna, former Hassan MP, in public domain through pen drives and other modes.
The 16th edition of Bhoomi Habba was held on June 8, at the Visthar campus. The festival drew a vibrant crowd who came together to celebrate eco-consciousness through a variety of engaging activities, creative workshops, panel discussions, interactive exhibits and performances, all centered around this year’s theme: “Save Water, Save Lives.”