Justice PV Kunhikrishnan on Tuesday said the court is not blaming the Center but when a citizen stands to lose his employment or his movement is restricted because of the vaccine given to him by the state, “is it the duty of the government to Isn’t that redressal of his grievance”?
Kochi:
If a citizen loses his job due to vaccination, is the state not obliged to redress it? Kerala High Court’s proposal to the Center
Kochi: If someone loses his livelihood because of the state administered vaccine, is the government not bound to redress his grievance? The Kerala High Court on Tuesday asked the Centre.
The poser came during the hearing of a man’s plea for a third jab of an internationally recognized vaccine so that he could go back to Saudi Arabia, where he worked as a welder before the COVID-19 outbreak.
He has moved the High Court for a third attempt at an internationally recognized vaccine as the two doses of COVAXIN he received are not recognized or approved in the Gulf country and, therefore, he is unable to travel there.
Justice PV Kunhikrishnan on Tuesday said the court is not blaming the Center but when a citizen stands to lose his employment or his movement is restricted because of the vaccine given to him by the state, “is it the duty of the government to Isn’t that redressal of his grievance”?
The court directed Assistant Solicitor General (Assistant SG) Manu S, appearing for the Centre, to take directions as to why Saudi Arabia was not recognizing Covaxin while the WHO approved the vaccine for international emergency use. Has been.
The Assistant SG said that the vaccines were administered to save lives which was the focus during the pandemic and hence, the Center could not wait for the international acceptance of the same.
He also said that the government has its limits with regard to imposing something on a foreign nation.
The court, however, held that the restriction on movement of a citizen or loss of employment due to a vaccine administered by the state was a ‘violation of his fundamental rights’.
It asked the Assistant SG to come up with instructions on the Saudi Arabia issue by November 29, the next date of hearing.
On November 2, the High Court observed that the Centre’s vaccination plan has created two classes of citizens in India – those who have got COVAXIN, whose movement is restricted, and those who have COVISHIELD and can go anywhere.
The Center had said in August that clinical trials to ascertain the effectiveness of delivering the third dose of the COVID vaccine were underway and would take several months to complete.