The court stated that such deaths are equal to criminal actions committed by those who are in charge of ensuring the state’s oxygen supply. The comments were made in response to stories circulating on various social media platforms about the death of Corona patients in Lucknow and Meerut districts due to a lack of oxygen.
HC Allahabad, Tuesday: The death of the Corona patients suffering due to a lack of oxygen supply in hospitals is a criminal act, “not less than genocide” by the authorities entrusted with maintaining the oxygen supply chain.
The order was issued in Public Interest Litigation concerning the spread of Corona in the state and the condition of quarantine centers by the bench of two judges, justices Siddharth Verma and Ajit Kumar.
“We are at a pain in observing that death of Covid patients just for non-supplying of oxygen to the hospitals is a criminal act and not less than a genocide by those who have been entrusted the task to ensure continuous procurement and supply chain of the liquid medical oxygen,”, the court added.
The court said, “Normally, we would not have directed the state and district administrations to inquire into such news that has gone viral on social media, but because the advocates who appeared in this PIL supported such news and also submitted that more or less similar situations exist in other districts of the state, we find it necessary to direct the government to take immediate remedial measures.”
“We are at a pain in observing that death of Covid patients just for non-supplying of oxygen to the hospitals is a criminal act and not less than a genocide by those who have been entrusted the task to ensure continuous procurement and supply chain of the liquid medical oxygen,”, the court added.
To investigate certain news items within 48 hours and send reports on the following date, the court has been ordered the District Magistrate of Lucknow and the District Magistrate of Meerut
