'Can't Delve Into Conspiracy Theories' : Supreme Court Dismisses Plea For International Task Force On CoVID Deaths

The Supreme Court today refused to entertain writ petition seeking directions to the Centre to set up an international task force of experts comprising of National and International experts (including from China)- reporting to this Top Court for determining if the Delta Variant could be a synthetic pathogen The petition which had also sought for apprising the Top Court of the steps to be taken for preventing the third wave was heard by the bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Vikram Nath and Hima Kohli. "We will rather focus on managing pandemic in our country than delving into conspiracy theories involving other nations on which we don't even have any justification. All of these are matters of policy," Justice DY Chandrachud orally remarked while refusing to entertain the petition. It was argued that India owed to itself and to the world to investigate and establish the facts behind an event that appears to have killed 3,900,000 Indians in less than three months. "The monumental tragedy is not yet over. We are all forced to live under serious restrictions awaiting the next attack- the third wave. The origins of Wuhan virus that led to the pandemic of CoVID is a subject matter of international investigation. Origins of the Delta Variant of Wuhan virus that seems to have killed 3.9 million Indians in less than three months; are today not known. The variant first found in India is now the dominant virus strain in the world bringing opprobrium upon India in the eyes of the world," plea states. Filed by Mumbai based Dr Pankaj K Phadnis, a researcher and a trustee of Abhinav Bharat Congress, the plea had also sought directions for the international task force to report to the Top Court about the origination of delta variant. "An International Task Force consisting of national and international experts (including those from China) and reporting to the Top Court will have the credibility that a team constituted by the Union will not have. The very act of determination of trust of SARS Cov-3 will be an additional step i.e in addition to vaccination and CoVID appropriate norms, in preventing the third wave and further loss of human life. In any case, the determination of the truth behind the death of 3,900,000 Indians in less than three months is by itself a worthwhile cause," plea also states. The petition further sought direction to the Union of India to scientifically keep track of any further mutation that might occur in future. The plea contended that these steps would go a long way (together with COVID appropriate behaviour and vaccination) in preventing further tragedy in the form of a third wave. Case Title: Abhinav Bharat Congress And Anr. Versus Union Of India And Ors. | W.P.(C) No. 845 /2021Click Here To Read/ Download Order

'Can't Delve Into Conspiracy Theories' : Supreme Court Dismisses Plea For International Task Force On CoVID Deaths

Shruti Kakkar

Tags