Shobha Gupta, a Supreme Court advocate, has written to the Supreme Court Bar Association and the Supreme Court Advocates on Record Association, recommending that the new SC lawyers chamber at Appu Ghar, which is currently empty, be provided to the appropriate government (Centre or State) for use as a COVID treatment centre.
"The situation is extremely worrying and terrifying. The least we can do is to give for society whatever little we can within our capacity. It is a hard reality that there is acute shortage of beds in the City. Sir(s), as you (both) are aware, we have a huge building meant for lawyer’s chambers lying vacant. Fortunately, there are no furniture as the chambers are yet to be occupied by the bar members. I would request you to please discuss with the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India and the Hon'ble Judges of the Chamber Committee to work out the possibility to offer our new lawyers chamber building at Appu Ghar, New Delhi, temporarily for few months to the concerned govt. (be it State or Central) to be used for bed facility and ICU facility and as well as to house the doctors attending Covid patients. We as a bar of the highest court of the country shall lead from the front. We luckily have a completely vacant building which certainly can be used to save many lives", she said in her letter.
"We can seek the support of the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India or the Hon'ble Judge in Charge of the SC Dispensary or the Medical Facilities Committee. This will allow our members to receive the appropriate and prompt assistance on a single phone call, rather than having to make several calls to arrange and locate a solution. The team will be available by call, WhatsApp, email, and other means. We'll place all of the details, which will be updated on a regular basis, on a dedicated portal or a link on our main website ", she further added.
Gupta also recommended an online support desk, where members of the SCBA (Supreme Court Bar Association of India) and SCAORA (Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association), as well as other members of the bar, could take care of the information and coordination centre in small groups and changes, collecting data and forming ties with different hospitals, medical shops, oxygen and medicine distributors, police, and the SDM Office, among other things.
The Gujarat High Court has allowed the HC auditorium to be used as a COVID care centre.
Full text of letter is as below:
"Dated: 24.04.2021
To,
(I) The President,SCBA,
Supreme Court of India,
New Delhi-110001.
(II) The President,
SCAORA, Supreme Court of India,
New Delhi-110001.
Sub.: Urgent Letter.
Dear Sir,
Hope this letter of mine finds you both in best of your health and all your near and dear ones are keeping good. Sir(s), as we all know these are testing times for all of us. Every minute is offering some bad news. The whole nation is as if sitting on a tsunami. SCBA and SCAORA are doing exceptionally good job as our representative body under able leadership of you both as the elected Head of our Bar. This is extraordinary situation which demands extraordinary measures. Last year same time I made a request through my article (Extraordinary Situations Demands Extraordinary Initiatives from Legal Community and as well as by direct letter to the SCBA that we as the bar and the judicial system also have a role to play towards the society in these extraordinary circumstances. State alone would not be able to meet all the requirements. Sir(s), like all us, you both also must be getting numerous calls for requirement of bed for Covid patients even from our bar members. Almost every second house in the city has a Covid patient now. Similarly, plasma, remdesivir, oxygen are three things which are on high demand.
The situation is extremely worrying and terrifying. The least we can do is to give for society whatever little we can within our capacity. It is a hard reality that there is acute shortage of beds in the City. Sir(s), as you (both) are aware, we have a huge building meant for lawyer’s chambers lying vacant. Fortunately, there are no furniture as the chambers are yet to be occupied by the bar members. I would request you to please discuss with the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India and the Hon'ble Judges of the Chamber Committee to work out the possibility to offer our new lawyers chamber building at Appu Ghar, New Delhi, temporarily for few months to the concerned govt. (be it State or Central) to be used for bed facility and ICU facility and as well as to house the doctors attending Covid patients. We as a bar of the highest court of the country shall lead from the front. We luckily have a completely vacant building which certainly can be used to save many lives.
Similarly, I would request you to set up an online help desk, where the members of SCBA and SCAORA and other members of bar can take charge of the information and coordination centre in small teams and shifts by collating information, by establishing links with various hospitals/ medical shops/ suppliers of oxygen and medicines/ police/ SDM Office, etc. We can request the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India or the Hon'ble Judge incharge of the SC dispensary or Medical Facilities Committee for their cooperation. This would help our members to get the necessary and timely help on one phone call in place of we all make calls after calls to coordinate and find solution. The team shall be available on call, whatsapp, email, etc. We shall simultaneously put all the information updated from time to time on a dedicated portal or link on our regular website.
I am sure, you would take up this letter of mine with exceptional urgency and would positively act in the direction to offer the chambers' building to be used as a make shift hospital for the Covid patients and to set up a help desk.
Each life is important. Let us all contribute the maximum we can for the society. Let us save as many we can. I pray for good health of all. Please be safe.
Thanking you.
Yours Faithfully,
(ADV. SHOBHA GUPTA)
Copy to:
1. Hon'ble the Chief Justice of India, Supreme Court of India, New Delhi-110001"
