Covid vaccination: SC judges can’t choose between Covishield, Covaxin doses, clarifies govt
- The vaccination will take place entirely through the Co-Win platform, health ministry said
- India on Monday began the second phase of the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive
Supreme Court judges willing to take the vaccine for Covid-19 are not given a choice between Covaxin and Covishield, the health ministry said. The vaccination will take place entirely through the Co-Win platform, it said.
The judges will be given jabs at the government facility within the Court which would be a CGHS dispensary, it said.
Earlier, it was reported that the judges of the apex court would get the option to choose between Covaxin or Covishield vaccines.
The vaccination for SC judges and their family members will begin on Tuesday, according to news agency ANI. Retired judges of the Court and their family members too, will receive the jabs on the same day.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court in February agreed to hear a PIL seeking inclusion of judges, judicial staff and lawyers in the priority category for the administration of COVID-19 vaccine.
A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian posted the petition filed by an advocate for hearing after two weeks.
The top court was hearing a PIL, filed by Arvind Singh, which said the Centre has not considered the claim of members of the judiciary, judicial staff, lawyers and their staff to be included in the priority category of the group of the population for COVID-19 vaccine.
"The purpose of the petition is to ensure that Judges, lawyers, court staff and the staff of the lawyers, who are also providing one of the 'essential services' in the form of Judicial Administration, are included in the priority category of the group of the population for the administration of COVID-19 vaccine.
They ought to be treated at par with other essential service providers for the purpose of administration of the vaccine, said the plea, filed through advocate Rishi Sehgal.
The PIL stated that the Centre has identified the population group which are to be vaccinated first but the same is not based on any set criteria and apparently suffers from arbitrariness and non-application of mind.
"The 'Operational Guidelines' published by Respondents nowhere provides for any mechanism and criteria upon which such priority population groups have been identified, showing arbitrariness The said decision of Respondents is ad-hoc and not based on a rational basis," the plea said.
India on Monday began the second phase of the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive, opening registrations for people above 60 years and those aged 45 who have illnesses.
Phase 2 of this vaccination campaign will cover 10 crore people across the country. So far, around 1.45 core people have received Covid-19 shots in the first phase of the inoculation drive, which began on 16 January.
With inputs from PTI
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Business NewsNewsIndiaCovid vaccination: SC judges can’t choose between Covishield, Covaxin doses, clarifies govt
First Published:1 Mar 2021, 06:15 PM IST
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