The Centre has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on the vaccination programme in India, its production and price. The government has made an attempt to explain why there is a vaccination shortage in the country.
The affidavit urged against “judicial interference” and warned that “overzealous, though well-meaning, intervention may lead to unforeseen and unintended consequences”.
“In the context of a global pandemic, where response and strategy of the nation is completely driven by expert medical and scientific opinion, there is little room for judicial interference. Any overzealous, though well-meaning, judicial intervention may lead to unforeseen and unintended consequences… in absence of any expert advice or administrative experience, leaving doctors, scientists, experts and executive very little room to find innovative solutions on the go,” the centre said.
“Pricing of vaccines is not only reasonable but uniform across the country (after) government persuasion with two vaccine companies,” the centre added, noting that several states had announced plans to vaccinate the 18-45 age group for free.
The Centre said it is most respectfully submitted that in the times of such grave and unprecedented crisis which the nation is fighting the disaster of an unprecedented magnitude, the executive functioning of the government needs discretion to formulate policy in larger interest.
“It is submitted that in view of the unprecedented and peculiar circumstances under which vaccination drive is devised as an executive policy, the wisdom of the executive should be trusted,” said the affidavit.
The affidavit said with a view to ensure that there is no disparity between the states inter-se, with active consultation of the Centre with both the manufacturers, the central government has successfully fixed uniform price to be paid by all the State Governments.
Defending its vaccine policy, the affidavit said: “The policy is framed as above which is just, equitable, non-discriminatory and based upon an intelligible differentiating factor between the two age groups (45 plus and below).”
