Thread by @barandbench

#BombayHighCourt to hear plea seeking door-to-door #COVIDVaccination for citizens above 75 years of age and those who are specially-abled or bed-ridden.

Hearing before Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice GS Kulkarni.

#COVID19

The Bench will also hear a PIL raising issues concerning booking of vaccination slots on the #Cowin vaccination portal.

#CowinApp

The Court had on May 20 directed the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) to examine the feasibility of door to door COVID vaccination for elderly and disabled citizens.

#COVIDVaccination

barandbench.com/news/litigatio…

Hearing begins.

#COVIDVaccination

ASG Anil Singh seeks for time to look into the NEGVAC report.

#COVIDVaccination

Adv Dhruti Kapadia, petitioner in person, mentions that the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation has started door to door vaccination without a policy in place.

#COVIDVaccination

Sr Adv Anil Sakhare for BMC submits that society are holding vaccination drives in societies in partnership with private hospitals.

#COVIDVaccination

ASG Anil Singh submits that till end of July #CovishieldVaccine production would be over 5 crores and #COVAXIN production to be over 2 crores.

#COVIDVaccination

Court: By when would the entire population be vaccinated, first dose?

ASG: ICMR says by end of December.

#COVIDVaccination

Court asks Kapadia to share the documents with the respondents to take instructions before next date.

#COVIDVaccination

The Court is now hearing the petition pertaining on the #CowinApp .

Adv Jamsheed Master appearing for the petitioner submits that pursuant to the High Court order, notification was issued to all local authorities.

#BombayHighCourt

Court: The issues pertaining to #CowinApp is subjudice before the Supreme Court..

Adv Castellino: But those are issues which state that the app is not working.

#BombayHighCourt

Court: We will continue hearing at 1.45 pm.

Court rises for lunch.

#BombayHighCourt

Hearing continues.

#BombayHighCourt

Adv Castellino: Replies filed by the State and Centre.

She seeks time to respond to it.

#BombayHighCourt #CoWIN

Master submits that he only wants to show only an anomaly in the notification of the Centre. Centre has told the State to publish about slots for the week instead of opening for day to day.

However the State isputting out slots on a day to day basis at different times.

#CoWIN

Master: If you see the portal as it stands today, right now, only one day’s booking is there.

#BombayHighCourt #CoWIN

Castellino : private hospitals are giving vaccines, but government hospitals do not have vaccines.

#BombayHighCourt #CoWIN

Master: IF Centre is giving 10-15 days in advance to State about the status of the vaccines, why cannot the state follow that.

Atleast an ad-interim relief that the slots may be opened on a weekly basis, or if not, atleast open the slots at one time.

#BombayHighCourt #CoWIN

Master: It is difficult to keep checking the website minute by minute from 4 pm in the evening..

#BombayHighCourt #CoWIN

Court: In our order we had said that the portal should take care of the vaccination issue too.

Sr Adv Anil Sakhare: We come to know every evening about the number of vaccine and only after that can we update. But once the number of vaccines increase.. this problem will go.

Master: BMC updates on their twitter handle (@mybmc ). However that is only passive information. The slots still open at different times.

#BombayHighCourt #CoWIN

Court: What is the basis of allocation from Centre to State?

#BombayHighCourt #CoWIN

ASG: State of Maharashtra as on May 26 - 2.2 crores vaccines had been alloted and 2.12 lakh doses have been consumed. Over 1 lakh doses available.

Over 5 lakh vaccines will be made available in June.

#BombayHighCourt #CoWIN

ASG: The SII production is 5 crore a month, it will increase to 6.5 crores in July.
Bharat Biotech production will increase upto 5.5 crores.

#COVIDVaccination #BombayHighCourt

Court: There are issues on the portal. Kindly look into this issue.

#BombayHighCourt #CoWIN

Court: You give your suggestions and give it to ASG. At his level, let him see, what he can do.

Castellino: But why don’t government hospitals have vaccinations? Only private hospitals seem to have in surplus.

#BombayHighCourt #CoWIN

Sr Adv Sakhare: That is because we are also giving to rural areas..

Castellino: So then you show us the allocation..

#BombayHighCourt #CoWIN

Castellino: If they do not have the vaccination, they must call and inform us.

Court: Do you have the Supreme Court order?
Please point out the issues while arguing.. We are telling to everyone..
So that there are no overlapping issues.

#BombayHighCourt #CoWIN

Court (to ASG): You prepare a compilation of all SC orders and regularly update it. Any issue having pan-India ramification, we will be slow for acting on it.

#BombayHighCourt #CoWIN

Court: The Supreme Court has not restricted HCs to take up the issues, but we have to maintain propriety.
We remember reading about the Supreme Court discussing about the CoWin portal.

#BombayHighCourt #CoWIN

Master again points out that the issue of booking has to be sorted.

Court: Yours is a PIL. You are submitting on people who have access to the smartphones and app. What about those who do not?

#BombayHighCourt #CoWIN

Master: I have two fold suggestions.
The walk-in days should be decided and should be informed before hand.
Second, they can take assistance from TCS, IIT, where they assist for railway booking etc.. Some help from them.

#BombayHighCourt #CoWIN

Court reads a report about the three judge bench hearing discussing on the CoWin portal.

barandbench.com/news/litigatio…

Court: If the highest court has considered this issue, shouldn't we wait for them.

#CoWIN #BombayHighCourt

Court adjourns the hearing to June 8, 2021.

Hearing ends.

#CoWIN #BombayHighCourt