COVID-19: Youth Bar Association of India moves to SC for door-to-door vaccination policy
May 10, 2021
New Delhi [India], May 10 : The Youth Bar Association of India (YBAI) has moved the Supreme Court seeking directions for appropriate measures to be taken for the provision of door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination of all the citizens residing in the country, particularly the elderly, differently-abled, less privileged, weaker sections, and those who are unable to register online for their vaccination.
The YBAI, a group of young and vigilant lawyers, has filed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Supreme Court, through lawyers Sanpreet Singh, Ajmani, Kuldeep Rai, Manju Jetley (Advocate for the Petitioner) and Bably Singh.
"Direct the respondent to consider the necessity for providing door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination of all the citizens residing in India, particularly those who are elderly, differently-abled, less privileged, weaker sections and those who are not capable to do their online registration for approaching the vaccination centre," the petition filed by YBAI, said.
The petitioner, YBAI sought the issuance of guidelines or formulation of a Standard Operating Procedure (SoPs) so as to give immediate effect to the functioning of door-to-door vaccination to incapable people free of cost.
The petitioner also sought direction to the respondents to have a 24/7 toll-free portal through which the incapable and under privileged people may register themselves and which may resolve their queries and doubt in their regional language.
"The Vaccination shall continue as before in Government of India vaccination centers, provided free cost to the eligible population as defined earlier i.e. Health Care Workers (HCWs), Front line workers (FLWs) and all above 45 years of age," the petition said.
"All vaccination (through Government of India and Other than Government of India channel) would be part of National Vaccination Programme, and mandate to follow all protocol such as being captured on CoWIN platform and all the prescribed norms. Stocks and prices per vaccination applicable in all vaccination centers will have to be reported real-time," the plea further said.
"The second mutant of COVID-19 infection is turning more infectious and widely communicable infecting almost more than 50 per cent of the population and chances of it reaching its peak is in the mid to end of this month of May," the petition filed by YBAI, before the Top Court said.
"The ray of hope emerged in people when the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine was injected to frontline workers on January 16, wherein the government ensured free vaccination to front line workers and citizens above the age of 65 years which later included citizens who are above age of 45 years," the PIL filed by YBAI said.
The plea further stated that however with the passage of almost months hardly 30 per cent of around 40 crores of persons above the age of 65 years have been administered with the first dose of the vaccine and roughly around 1.8 per cent of the total population have completed the second dose.
