No preferential care to Delhiites at GTB, rules HC

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Friday quashed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s circular on giving preferential treatment to Delhi residents over non-residents at the GTB Hospital. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V.K. Rao had earlier reserved its verdict on the PIL filed by NGO Social Jurist, challenging the Delhi government’s pilot project.

Later, the Delhi government said that it will challenge the high court’s order. “We will appeal in the apex court and put up our case there,” health minister Satyendar Jain said.

The court was examining whether the AAP government’s project at the GTB Hospital to give preferential treatment to city residents was violating the rights to equality and life enjoyed by others under the Constitution.

The bench had earlier said that it has noted the AAP government’s “difficulties” related to infrastructure, staff and facilities and had said that it will consider if these are valid grounds to deny others their rights under Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution.

At the previous hearing, the Delhi government’s senior standing counsel Rahul Mehra had told the court that no individual has so far filed a complaint against its October 1 circular initiating the pilot project at the hospital.

Mr Mehra had said that no one was being denied treatment, access to tests or outpatient (OPD) facilities and the hospital was only prioritising whom to treat first.

The bench, however, was unimpressed by the contention and had asked, “Who is responsible for this? The courts? Or is it mismanagement? If you cannot manage then stop the facilities.”

The bench had said that the government ought to have evaluated the shortcomings and taken steps to rectify them, instead of taking away the rights of others by changing the manner in which they are provided treatment.

The NGO had opposed the pilot project initiated by the Delhi government at the GTB Hospital.