A Division Bench of the Madras High Court comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy has asked the Union and State Government to vaccinate students who wish to study abroad and non-residents who came on short visits, on a priority basis and also to place certain guidelines/ regulations in this respect- given the fact that International travelling is allowed by certain countries.
“Both the State and the Centre should consider vaccinating such persons on a priority basis and some norms in such regard should be put in place. It is hoped that both the Centre and the State look into such aspect so that the aspirations and convenience of a number of citizens or non-residents can be taken care of.”
Court Observation and Reasoning
The Court expressed its satisfaction that there was a downfall of the cases as revealed in the report received from the Union, the State and the Union Territory. The Report further indicated the allocation of vaccine dozes to the State on which the Court hoped that the efforts to expeditiously augment the supply of vaccines would be kept up so that the entire population can be vaccinated as quickly as possible.
The Court looked into the submission made by one of the intervenors that Centre and State should formulate a policy by considering the Students who want to study abroad or the residents who were stuck in India due to cancellation of International flights, on a priority basis for vaccination. In this regards, the Court suggested that in the vaccination certificate, passport numbers may be recorded, whenever such a request is made by the relevant individual. With several countries now opening up and allowing international travellers from India, this aspect of the matter gains even more significance.
The Court also advised the State Government to make all possible endeavours to ensure that there has been no profiteering at the expense of distressed citizens. The Court has listed the matter on June 21, 2021 for next hearing to obtain information as to the further augmentation of the vaccination drive, including spreading awareness among people to come forward and vaccinate themselves.
Case Details
Case: Suo Motu W.P.No.10486 of 2021
Quorum: Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy
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