NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the AAP government as to what guidelines or protocols were in place for disposal of used Covid-19 testing kits and whether they were being followed by the hospitals, clinics and doctors under its jurisdiction.
A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan asked the Delhi government additional standing counsel Sanjoy Ghose and advocate Naman Jain to find out the guidelines or protocols in place, the authority which issued them and whether they were being implemented.
“Come with instructions,” the bench said to the Delhi government counsels and listed the matter for hearing on December 3. The direction came on a PIL by a lawyer alleging improper disposal of used swabs from Rapid Antigen testing for Covid-19 at the office of the District Magistrate (South East Delhi) at Lajpat Nagar.
The petitioner, Pankaj Mehta, alleged that used swabs were being “thrown in public” and “tests being carried out over a pile of used swabs for Covid-19” at the DM’s office. “Upon complaining about the risk of widespread infection and the irregularity behind disposing of the swabs in this manner, the concerned doctor at the counter said that the swabs are of negative patients and thus it is safe to stand over them,” Mehta claimed in his plea.
The claims and allegations were refuted by Ghose who said he was informed that the swabs being referred to in the plea were unused or defective. Ghose said that he will still take instructions on the correct position and inform the court about it.
Govt counsel refutes claims
The claims and allegations in the plea were refuted by Ghose who said he was informed that the swabs being referred to in the plea were unused or defective