A Public Interest Litigation seeking the inclusion of Judges, Judicial staff, advocates and the members of the legal fraternity in the first phase of COVID-19 vaccination has been filed in the Delhi High Court.
Advocate Amrendra Kumar Singh has filed the PIL through Advocate Anand Mishra. Advocate Amrendra Kumar is practising in the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court. It was alleged in his PIL that the litigants who are the sufferers in this situation are persons who are scattered and thus are not able to access the court in a collective manner.
The petition was filed after it came out that the launch of the first phase of COVID-19 vaccine by the Centre was to be given to selected beneficiaries like medical professionals, police, security officials, sanitation workers, and will extend to others in a phased manner. This list did not include the Judges, Judicial Staff etc. There was a petition filed some time ago that the first phase must not include the health workers as if the vaccine fails, the health workers’ lives are at risk.
Mr Amrendra submitted that several advocates who are a part of the legal fraternity have faced unprecedented times because of the COVID-19 pandemic and are still facing the repercussions of the same.
The plea further added that the legal services and functioning of the Judicial system is one of the primary pillars of the country and have all the right to be included in the first phase to ensure the proper functioning of the judicial system. The entire rule of law depends on the functioning of courts and the litigants are delayed justice due to the absence of normal court proceedings.
Earlier the Tamil Nadu Advocates Association had written a letter to the Union and State Health Ministry regarding the same.
The TNAA asserted the importance of physical hearing and also went on to say that virtual hearing was only a temporary arrangement. They can never be permanent as they cannot possibly replace physical, in-person court proceedings. It further asserted that legal professionals and courts do not function for themselves; they work for the betterment of society and thus have all the right to be included in the first phase.
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