Supreme Court slams Centre on vaccination policy, regards it as ‘prima facie arbitrary & irrational’

June 2: Calling the Centre’s policy on vaccination of 18-44 ages “prima facie arbitrary and irrational”, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the Centre to provide detailed information on all COVID-19 vaccines purchased by the government to date, including Covaxin, Covishield, and Sputnik V. The Centre has been asked to provide clarifications on six points — including preparedness for needs of children in the event of a third wave, number of crematorium workers vaccinated, and a a roadmap of projected  availability of vaccines till December 31.

The Centre was asked to clarify how the ₹ 35,000-crore budget for vaccine procurement is being spent. “If Rs. 35,000 crore has been allocated for vaccine, why it cannot be used for vaccinating the 18-44 age group,” the judges have questioned, asking the Centre to produce the entire data on its vaccine purchase history till date. Further, the Court also sought information on the steps being taken by the Central government to ensure drug availability for mucormycosis.

The ruling was issued by a Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, L Nageswara Rao, and S Ravindra Bhat in a suo motu case filed by the highest court to address issues surrounding the administration of Covid-19 in the country.  Calling the Centre’s policy on vaccination of 18-44 ages “arbitrary and irrational”, the Supreme Court currently people in that age group are not just getting infected, but suffering from severe effects of the infection, including hospitalisation and death. The court highlighted the changing nature of the pandemic and said it has created a situation where this younger age bracket also needs to be vaccinated. However, it added that priority may be retained between different age groups on a scientific basis.