SC dismisses plea by ex-bureaucrats for inquiry into mismanagement of Covid-19 pandemic in India

This is a matter of public debate but court cannot go into this. Government has to be given latitude. It is a matter of opinion: SC said

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea by a group of six former senior bureaucrats for an independent inquiry into Union government's "gross mismanagement" of Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and Ajay Rastogi declined to consider the petition filed by K P Fabian and others through advocate Prashant Bhushan.

As the counsel insisted for appointment of a Commission for inquiry into alleged mismangement, the bench said, "This is a matter of public debate but court cannot go into this. Government has to be given latitude. It is a matter of opinion. Nobody knew this would happen."

Bhushan contended despite WHO's warning, one lakh people were allowed to gather at 'Namaste Trump' event at a stadium on February 24. This was also against advice by the Union Home Ministry. He also claimed 24% decline in GDP and loss of job for two crore people due to sudden declaration of lockdown without consulting experts.

In spite of this, we were not able to contain Covid-19 and our economy also got shattered, he submitted.

The petitioners, namely M G Devasahayam, Meena Gupta, Somsundar Burra, Amit Bhaduri and Madhu Bhaduri, contended that the response of the government to the pandemic and the deleterious impact of it on the lives and livelihoods of citizens of the country was a matter of public importance.

It warranted appointment of a Commission under Section 3 of the Commission of Inquiry Act, they said in their joint petition.

They said a Commission headed by a former Supreme Court judge and comprising experts from fields of medical science, epidemiology, public health, law and social sciences should be formed to conduct an independent inquiry into issues of failure to take early measures for containment of then disease, abrupt and arbitrary declaration of lockdown, failure of lockdown to contain transmission of the disease and misery wrought upon ordinary citizens, owing to unplanned and sudden nature of lockdown.