Supreme Court (SC) has quashed a plea seeking directions to the Government of India to allow revaccination for all those beneficiaries who were administered Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin under the ongoing nationwide COVID-19 immunisation programme. The petitioner urged those vaccinated with Covaxin be allowed to get Serum Institute of India’s Covishield.
The top court retorted and said that they could not pass directions to allow people to get Covishield vaccine “at their own risk” since nobody knows the kind of impact it could have. The SC added that how could the petitioner ask for the data that has been submitted to the Geneva-based World Health Organisation (WHO).
The petitioner then argued that students and businessmen are being barred from going abroad every single day due to the pending emergency use authorisation (EUA) of Covaxin, adding that the court should reconsider their petition. “We are seeing newspaper reports that Bharat Biotech has requested authorisation from WHO. Let’s wait a little while and see what’s happening,” the Supreme Court said.
The top court further mentioned that such petitions are risky as “some competitors use [the] court as a forum to push a particular thing.” It added that the top court wait till Diwali vacation for the WHO authorisation of Bharat Biotech and if that happens, then the petitioner’s issue will be resolved.
Earlier this week, the top court also dismissed a plea seeking its directions to stop mass vaccination using Covishield and Covaxin till all the stages of clinical trial are completed saying it is key to protecting the population and no doubt should be cast on it. A two-judge bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and BV Nagarantha refused to entertain this plea which challenged the Karnataka High Court’s May 26 order dismissing the plea of an ex-serviceman Mathew Thomas.
“The High Court is right in dismissing the plea. Let us not cast doubt on the vaccination process. It is a key to protecting the population. We don’t want the petition to be argued at all. Even issuing notice on this appeal will be subject to great mischief,” the SC bench said.
(With PTI inputs)
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