The Delhi High Court on Tuesday rapped the Delhi government for creating a 100-bed Covid health facility for treatment of judges and their family members at a five-star hotel here, saying "it is unthinkable and we never asked for preferential treatment".
"When people aren't getting beds, you are passing such orders? Is it to appease us? You can't create special facility like this. We never asked for it," a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli told senior advocate Rahul Mehra appearing for the Delhi government.
The court took Suo Motu cognisance of the media reports stating that the Delhi government has created a special facility at Ashoka Hotel here for judges and their families. The circular was issued on April 25 by the Delhi government, inviting strong criticism on social media.
"Can we as an institution say that create a special facility for us? Will this not be blatantly discriminatory that people can’t get treatment and there is a facility in five star hotel for us," the bench asked the counsel.
The court asked the Delhi government counsel to ensure that the Ashoka hotel order was withdrawn or it would quash the circular.
Mehra, for his part, contended the media had done wrong and played mischief.
"Your order is worded wrong. Media is not wrong in pointing this out," the bench said.
The court said it had not made any such request that a facility should be set up at a particular hotel.
"Our concern was with regard to judicial officers in lower judiciary who have to hold court. We have already lost two judicial officers," the bench said.
The bench told Mehra that perception was going out that we asked for special booking or that the Delhi government did this to appease us.
(Published 27 April 2021, 13:21 IST)
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