Abhinav Thapar vs. Union Of India

ITEM NO.10 Court 4 (Video Conferencing) SECTION X

S U P R E M E C O U R T O F I N D I A RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS

Writ Petition(s)(Civil) No(s).903/2021

ABHINAV THAPAR Petitioner(s)

VERSUS

UNION OF INDIA & ANR. Respondent(s) (FOR ADMISSION ) Date : 08-10-2021 This petition was called on for hearing today. CORAM : HON'BLE DR. JUSTICE D.Y. CHANDRACHUD HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE B.V. NAGARATHNA For Petitioner(s) Mr. Krishna Ballabh Thakur, AOR

For Respondent(s)

UPON hearing the counsel the Court made the following O R D E R

1 The petition which invokes the jurisdiction under Article 32 of the Constitution has been filed in the public interest. The specific aspect which is canvassed in the petition is that during the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, patients had to take recourse to seeking medical facilities in private hospitals as a result of the inadequacy of the public health infrastructure and there were widespread complaints of over-charging of hapless patients. Families, including of those who did not survive the pandemic, have been brought to economic ruin, as a result. The petitioner has relied upon certain instances where local bodies, such as the Pune Municipal Corporation, have issued notice to private hospitals for overcharging patients and ensured refund of excess amounts charged. A writ of mandamus is sought to the Centre and the State Governments to set up a Digitally signed by Sanjay Kumar Date: 2021.10.09 11:48:22 IST Reason: Signature Not Verified

mechanism for scrutinizing and auditing the bills of Covid-19 patients who have complaints of being over-charged.

• 2 The issue which has been raised in the petition concerns a wide strata of society consisting of patients and their relatives who have been over-charged during the Covid-19 pandemic and the issue which has been raised would merit serious attention.
• 3 Issue notice to the Union of India for the present, returnable in four weeks.
• 4 Liberty to serve the Central Agency, in addition.
• 5 Liberty to amend the cause title to delete the Cabinet Secretariat, so that the Union of India is represented through the Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

(SANJAY KUMAR-I) (SAROJ KUMARI GAUR) AR-CUM-PS COURT MASTER