HP govt to SC: Will vaccinate entire adult population with 2nd dose for COVID-19 by Nov end

The Supreme Court Monday stayed the orders of the Himachal Pradesh High Court constituting district level committees to monitor the COVID-19 situation in the state which recently became the first state to vaccinate 100 percent of its 18 plus population with the first dose and has vowed to vaccinate its entire adult population with the second dose by November end.

The top court stayed the orders of the high court dated July 7 and 14 by which it had constituted district level committees comprising of deputy commissioner, secretary of district legal service authority, and president of the district bar association for monitoring COVID-19 situation after the state government said that it is having a demoralizing effect on officials. A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and BV Nagarathna, which issued notice on the plea filed by the state government challenging the orders of the High Court, said that pendency of the plea will not preclude the High Court from passing any order under Article 226 about COVID-19 situation.

"When we had constituted a National Task Force on COVID-19, it comprised doctors and experts from across the country but this district-level committee comprises people who are secretary, district legal service authority and President of District Bar Association. What are they expected to do," the bench said.

At the outset, Additional Advocate General Abhinav Mukerji, appearing for the state government said, "We have recently achieved a rare distinction of becoming the first state to vaccinate 100 percent of our adult population with the first dose for COVID-19 and by November end; we will be able to vaccinate entire population with the second dose. We have a positivity rate of 0.7 percent only".

He said that these committees are having a demoralizing effect on the officials, who are working very hard to vaccinate the population as they have to appear before the court every Wednesday, where many allegations are made against them.

Mukerji said that they had to face a difficult situation in a village called Malana in the Kullu district, where people believe themselves to be the original descendants of Aryans and they do not like to be vaccinated.

"They were persuaded to take vaccines after much deliberation. This was the reason for the delay in achieving the target of 100 percent otherwise we would have achieved much earlier," Mukerji said. Justice Chandrachud said, "I have been to that village. The villagers are famous for something else also".

Mukerji said that the state is already doing everything possible to contain the COVID-19 situation and has several committees in places like the ambulance committee, Oxygen committee, CSIR committee, village-level committees consisting of Sarpanch and Asha workers, and district level committees.

He said that what the High Court has done is already being done by the State.

The bench said that the committees which have been constituted by the High Court are not expert committees and prima facie the constitution of such committee requires consideration.