Thread by @fpjindia

The Bombay High Court bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta & Justice Girish Kulkarni is hearing a PIL on #VaccinationFraud in #Mumbai.

The bench had asked #Maharashtra government and the .@mybmc to work out a policy on an urgent basis to keep a check on the 'fake' vaccination drives being carried out in various housing societies, production houses, colleges etc in the city, especially in the western suburbs.

The bench said that none can be allowed to play with lives of innocent citizens and ordered the Mumbai Police to submit a status report of the probe today

Deepak Thakare (Chief Public Prosecutor): Four FIR's have been lodged. The modus operandi is the same and same persons are involved in all the fake vaccination drives. Police is investigating the case

CJ: Has Dr Manish Tripathi arrested?
.@mybmc counsel Anil Sakhare: No he is absconding
CJ: Isn't there any foul play on part of one Ashish Mishra, who initially approached societies in Borivali
Thakare: Ashish isn't absconding

CJ: Has any of the accused applied for anticipatory bail?
Thakare: Sessions court has rejected Dr Tripathi's anticipatory bail. Over 400 witnesses' statements have been recorded.
CJ: We do not find any statement of Ashish Mishra

CJ: None of the society members suspected anything ? Normally, money is paid and service is rendered. But in this case, they paid money after the services were provided to them. None suspected anything?

Anita Shekhar (advocate for the petitioner): Newspaper reports suggest that society members doubted it after none had any side effect of those injections. They even said that vials were opened.

Sakhare: Residents received certificates from different hospitals and this raised the suspicion. Preliminary enquiry is also going on at hospitals to ascertain if they were aware of all this.

Anita Shekhar: Hospitals are denying that they haven't supplied the vaccines. But once the vials are opened, there is a procedure to be followed to dispose it. This means they have not followed the procedure to dispose the vials

CJ: Mr Singh and Mr Sakhare, after taking a vaccine, what's the procedure to get a certificate? Is it possible to have two certificates of the same person?

CJ: Is your entire procedure full proof?
Anita Shekhar: On one Aadhar card, only one person can be vaccinated. And the certificate is issued immediately

Adv Shekhar: The issue that now arise is whether these people would be considered to have got vaccines ? Whether they will be eligible for first or second dose?

J Kulkarni: Our anxiety is their safety now. These 390 people must be tested.

CJ: Check if there is any adverse impact of these fake vaccines on the

J Kulkarni: What is the total number of people?
Sakhare: 2053 people were victims of #VaccinationFraud at nine places across #Mumbai

CJ: Mr Sakhare tell us how do you propose to take care of these 2053 persons?
Sakhare: .@mybmc will take proper care

J Kulkarni: In the last hearing, the state and BMC was asked to formulate an SOS guideline against such fake vaccine drives.

Sakhare: .@mybmc has guidelines on this aspect.

J Kulkarni: Mr Sakhare despite your guidelines these incidents have taken place. Thus we need specific guidelines against fake vaccines

Bench now asks AGP Geeta Shastri about state's stand. She seeks one week's time.

J Kulkarni: Time is the essence here. Every minute is important. We had told you last time, to be very serious on this issue.

We were expecting SOPs by now.

Thakare: One directive be issued to .@mybmc that wherever a camp is being organized police is informed so that we can provide our assistance there

Sakhare: Our officials are visiting every camp now.

Bench asks both state and BMC to file separate affidavits by Tuesday.