The Delhi High Court on Monday 22nd June 2020 stayed the proceedings filed by Delhi Government alleging that Ganga Ram Hospital isn’t following the norms given for the Pandemic COVID’19. The proceedings were stayed by a single bench Justice Hari Shankar against the Hospital.
In return, Ganga Ram Hospital has moved a plea demanding the quashing of the FIR against the Hospital which was filed by the Health Department of Delhi Government for the violation of Epidemic Diseases COVID19 Regulations 2020. The FIR clearly stated that the Hospital is being violative in following the Epidemic Diseases COVID19 Regulations 2020 and not following the norms of using the RT-PCR for testing data as given under the regulatory act.
The petition by Ganga Ram Hospital stated that-
‘The Hospital including the Petitioner Hospital is the backbone of the healthcare system and is often referred to as the “front-line COVID warriors” in the face of Pandemic COVID19. The illegal act of the Respondent in registering the impugn FIR tantamount to penalizing and threatening the Petitioner for the services rendered by it in these difficult times of COVID19, apart from causing a severe dent to the reputation built by the petitioner as a premier medical facility by continuing to serve the society by saving millions of lives since 1954 when it was established in its present location from Lahore.’
The Petitioner has also called attention to the fact that there was a violation of Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code 1860 and the prescribed rules of Criminal Procedure Code 1973. The Petitioner has argued before the court that there was no violation of any orders passed by the ICMR regarding transmitting data of patients whose samples were collected by the said Hospital.
The petitioner at the end stated that there is no proof in the FIR that they have not followed the procedure, or they are causing a risk to the lives of people.
