[Covid-19]: Delhi HC holds there is no material to show deaths are under-reported, dismisses PIL

The Delhi High Court on May 22, 2020 {ALL INDIA LAWYER’S UNION vs GOVT. OF NCT OF DELHI & ANR.} held that the whole case of the petitioner is based upon presumptions and surmises as the same has been filed on the basis of some newspaper reports without any proper research. 

The Division Bench of HC, comprising Chief Justice D.N. Patel & Justice Prateek Jalan, further held that on the basis of the guidelines issued by the Central Government, the data is being collected from the hospitals in a proper format. It was held  that the respondents have constituted a Death Audit Committee on 20th April, 2020 for auditing the data in question received from different hospitals in Delhi and thereafter publish the same. 

In the present case, the main grievance ventilated by the petitioner vide PIL is about the alleged publication of incorrect data, pertaining to the number of persons suffering and death occurred due to COVID-19 by the Government of NCT of Delhi.

Rejecting the petition, it was held by the HC that there is no doubt that the members of the Committee are experts in their subject and field. It was held that there seems to be no arbitrariness or discrimination being done nor is there are any material to show false fabrication of data in question being published by the respondents.

It was held that the Court is not sitting in appeal against the reports published by the Death Audit Committee from time to time. It was further held that there are no basis for the allegations to the effect that the Committee is not working properly. Accordingly, the PIL was disposed of by the HC.