Individuals with disabilities search Covid vaccine precedence, transfer Delhi HC

The Delhi Supreme Court on Wednesday informed the Center and Delhi government of a plea for instructions on the treatment of all disabled people who are given priority for the administration of the Covid under the Disability Rights Act 2016 -19 vaccine regardless of their vaccine age.

A department bank of Supreme Judge DN Patel and Judge Jasmeet Singh addressed a notice to the government of NCT in Delhi in the petition filed by the petitioner as a public interest litigation asking respondents for instructions to prioritize and treat people with disabilities to take special measures for them to administer the vaccine against Covid-19 within the meaning of the mandate pursuant to Section 25 Paragraph 1 and Section 8 of the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (“RPWD”) of 2016.

This petition is tabled by two petitioners with physical disabilities. They contended that it was a generally accepted principle that the right to life under Article 21 of India’s Constitution includes the right to health. And according to Article 14, treating people with disabilities with people without disabilities is a violation of the right to equality as well as the right to life of people with disabilities.

The lawyer for these petitioners has argued before the Court that people with disabilities are more susceptible to contracting the virus because they cannot take measures such as social distancing when they need caregivers or wear a mask, for example for those with cerebral palsy, autism or developmental disorders.

The petitioners said that people with disabilities due to Covid-19 face more severe symptoms and a higher death rate compared to other people.

They made the bank aware of the problem that people with disabilities are in need of medical assistance who were tense during the pandemic and therefore suffer from poorer health during the pandemic, whether or not they are infected with Covid-19 . The Tribunal will hear the matter on May 24th.