The High Court on Thursday disposed of a batch of public interest petitions filed by three legislators on various issues relating to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A special division bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar posed a series of queries to the petitioner legislators on their contribution in fighting the pandemic.
The court asked, being the privileged section of the society, whether they have set up beds for the Covid-19 patients in their constituencies and whether they have helped in procuring oxygen during medical emergency situations.
The court observed that it has passed various directions, up to 800 pages, since last year. The bench directed the government to file a response in relation to some of the prayers in the petitions, before disposing them.
The petition filed by K R Ramesh Kumar, former speaker and MLA from Srinivasapur constituency in Kolar district, sought directions to make arrangements for the collection of swabs for RT-PCR test from remote villages across the state. It also prayed for providing mobile laboratories in every corner of the state.
Kumar contended that private hospitals are withholding bodies of Covid-19 victims, in violation of the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME) Act.
The bench said it would be appropriate for the government to issue a circular regarding the RT-PCR tests in remote villages, in the wake of more cases being reported from rural areas.
Another legislator H K Patil prayed for a direction for making available oxygen cylinders with Isro, for storage. The petition was withdrawn when the court declined to entertain the prayer.
Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council S R Patil filed a petition claiming that district administration has been forcing nursing homes to discharge Covid-19 patients in Bagalkot.
The court pointed out that as an MLA, the petitioner cannot take the cause of private hospitals. The hospitals can approach the appropriate forum with grievances, the court said.