The High Court of Karnataka on Monday directed the state government to take effective steps to control the spread of H1N1 flu and restore people’s confidence.
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday directed the state government to take effective steps to control the spread of H1N1 flu and restore people’s confidence. The directive was issued by a division bench of the court comprising Chief Justice PD Dinakraran and Justice VG Sabhahit after hearing two public interest petitions filed by advocates S Vasudev and Shankar Bhat.
“Swine flu has created panic among the public. Whether it is with a basis or not is a different question. There is a fear psychosis in general. There is no use in finding fault with the media. What steps have to be taken by the state is important. The state must educate public about the flu and take action to control the flu and ensure that confidence prevails among the public,” the court observed.
“We can’t do anything but repose our confidence in the state government to take effective steps to control the situation, provide the best available treatment to swine flu affected patients and also to prevent the flu from spreading by equipping government hospitals as well as primary healthcare centers to tackle the situation. The government can also seek the co-operation of private hospitals,” the court ordered.
When the court took up the PILs for hearing, senior advocate KN Subba Reddy, who made a voluntary submission, demanded that the government provide masks to advocates to prevent them from getting infected by the flu.
Another senior advocate wondered how could the lawyers argue with a mask on. “I will agree that the advocates cannot argue if they wear masks. Similarly, we cannot dictate judgments if we wear masks,” the chief justice agreed, sending the entire court room into peals of laughter.
Petitioner and advocate Vasudev prayed for a directive to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike to cleanse all the 460-plus slums in the city. Director for Medical Education Usha Vasankar explained the measures taken by the state government to check the spread of swine flu.
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