<p>At the peak of the global pandemic last year, it took the Gujarat High Court's adverse remarks and several reprimands to see the chief minister, health minister and bureaucrats, who were missing in action, get their acts together in checking the spread of Covid-19. On almost every issue— from the plight of migrant workers to patients pleading for beds to the need to create urgent medical infrastructure, it was the judiciary that forced the Vijay Rupani government to take immediate measures to help citizens and even stepped in to alter policies that put the lives of citizens in danger. Some of these policies, struck down by the court, were on admitting patients only through 108 ambulances, making Aadhaar mandatory for admissions and allocation of medicines and oxygen, and on restrictions on large gatherings.</p>.<p><strong><a data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-stringify-link="http://www.deccanherald.com/tag/covid-19" delay="150" href="http://www.deccanherald.com/tag/covid-19" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE ONLY ON DH</a></strong></p>.<p>As the second wave of the pandemic hit the state, the Vijay Rupani-led BJP government fumbled yet again, leaving the space for the judiciary to step in and "guide" it. Unlike last year, the situation this time around was worse, with patients queuing up outside hospitals for admission, struggling to secure beds, scrambling for oxygen, ambulances, antiviral drugs such as Remdesivir, and so on. Like elsewhere in the country, the chaos compelled the judiciary to take up a public interest litigation suo motu and directing the government through the crisis while seeking details of each and every action the government took or was lacking in.</p>.<p>With the opposition Congress barely able to expose the failures of the ruling party, it was only in court that the government was forced to reveal details that routinely hit the headlines, such as its repeated pleading with the Centre to increase oxygen supply and life-saving drugs. However, Rupani was quick to respond and counter his own government's affidavits on oath to say that the Centre was taking care of Gujarat in every manner possible.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/gujarat-governments-notification-on-distribution-of-mucormycosis-medicine-vague-and-defective-high-court-990286.html" target="_blank">Gujarat government's notification on distribution of mucormycosis medicine 'vague and defective': High Court</a></strong></p>.<p>The Rupani government was accused of hiding information regarding the spread of the pandemic and its casualties. Gujarati newspapers flashed reports of huge underreporting of deaths and virus spread. The division bench led by Chief Justice Vikram Nath questioned the authenticity of the government's statistics and even asked the state to "admit" if there were shortages and failures. The court questioned the details the government provided on oath in its affidavits and went on to say that the state was only trying to create a "rosy picture" devoid of the ground realities. The bench even remarked that the government won't gain anything by hiding the real picture. It said, "Suppression and concealment of accurate data would generate more serious problems, including fear, loss of trust, panic amongst public at large..." The government flatly denied any wrongdoing.</p>.<p>The government followed the High Court's directions in handling the pandemic and in making most of the crucial decisions that it should have made on its own. "It seemed as if the judiciary was doing the work of the executive and legislature. It's not that such things have never happened in the past, but it is bad for democracy in the long run," said a former IAS officer, requesting not to be quoted.</p>.<p><strong>Also read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/covid-19-is-mucormycosis-contagious-990204.html" target="_blank">Covid-19: Is mucormycosis contagious?</a></strong></p>.<p>The former official, who retired as an Additional Chief Secretary, added, "A state needs an independent leader who is taken seriously by everyone, especially by the bureaucrats. I don't want to lower anyone's image, but it's a fact that the state, home to incumbent prime minister (Narendra Modi) and union home minister (Amit Shah), who have ruled it for over 12 years, is not being run by state leaders. A leader has to be independent and shouldn’t have to look to Delhi for every decision concerning the state. Gujarat lacks in this regard."</p>.<p>In fact, since the pandemic broke out last year, the Rupani government has followed the guidelines issued by the Centre quite literally. There hasn't been any change or modification to suit the local demands or requirements. "We have followed every guideline of the central government, right from the beginning," confirms a senior IAS officer, part of the core group of the team handling the crisis.</p>.<p>"The present chief minister has inherited an idea that big announcements and propaganda are substitutes for governance. You start with this thinking, spend little on micro-planning, or taking stock of what is available. You need micro-planning and guts. For example, look at what happened when the Surat plague broke out in 1994. The then city commissioner turned the city from the dirtiest to the cleanest with planning and guts. The Surat success showed that culture could be changed," said retired professor Ghanshyam Shah.</p>.<p>He added that it's not a good sign to see the judiciary directing the government to do things that are not under its purview, and such a trend is terrible for democracy. As a matter of fact, according to officials, Anandiben Patel, who inherited the reins of the state from Narendra Modi in 2014, was considered an "independent leader" who could shake up things, including the bureaucrats on her own. She was replaced by Rupani, a low-profile leader from Rajkot who, as opposition Congress alleges, is "remotely controlled" from Delhi.</p>.<p>"The government has failed miserably in protecting the lives of citizens. The chief minister was busy making tall claims of drugs being imported from abroad, drugs being kept in reserve and what not, while people were dying for want of bed, medical attention, oxygen and drugs. The government's real face was unmasked. They were inaugurating hospitals with big photos of their supreme leaders while patients kept dying outside the hospitals as they were not allowed to enter. It was such a sad scene," said senior journalist Hari Desai.</p>
<p>At the peak of the global pandemic last year, it took the Gujarat High Court's adverse remarks and several reprimands to see the chief minister, health minister and bureaucrats, who were missing in action, get their acts together in checking the spread of Covid-19. On almost every issue— from the plight of migrant workers to patients pleading for beds to the need to create urgent medical infrastructure, it was the judiciary that forced the Vijay Rupani government to take immediate measures to help citizens and even stepped in to alter policies that put the lives of citizens in danger. Some of these policies, struck down by the court, were on admitting patients only through 108 ambulances, making Aadhaar mandatory for admissions and allocation of medicines and oxygen, and on restrictions on large gatherings.</p>.<p><strong><a data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-stringify-link="http://www.deccanherald.com/tag/covid-19" delay="150" href="http://www.deccanherald.com/tag/covid-19" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE ONLY ON DH</a></strong></p>.<p>As the second wave of the pandemic hit the state, the Vijay Rupani-led BJP government fumbled yet again, leaving the space for the judiciary to step in and "guide" it. Unlike last year, the situation this time around was worse, with patients queuing up outside hospitals for admission, struggling to secure beds, scrambling for oxygen, ambulances, antiviral drugs such as Remdesivir, and so on. Like elsewhere in the country, the chaos compelled the judiciary to take up a public interest litigation suo motu and directing the government through the crisis while seeking details of each and every action the government took or was lacking in.</p>.<p>With the opposition Congress barely able to expose the failures of the ruling party, it was only in court that the government was forced to reveal details that routinely hit the headlines, such as its repeated pleading with the Centre to increase oxygen supply and life-saving drugs. However, Rupani was quick to respond and counter his own government's affidavits on oath to say that the Centre was taking care of Gujarat in every manner possible.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/gujarat-governments-notification-on-distribution-of-mucormycosis-medicine-vague-and-defective-high-court-990286.html" target="_blank">Gujarat government's notification on distribution of mucormycosis medicine 'vague and defective': High Court</a></strong></p>.<p>The Rupani government was accused of hiding information regarding the spread of the pandemic and its casualties. Gujarati newspapers flashed reports of huge underreporting of deaths and virus spread. The division bench led by Chief Justice Vikram Nath questioned the authenticity of the government's statistics and even asked the state to "admit" if there were shortages and failures. The court questioned the details the government provided on oath in its affidavits and went on to say that the state was only trying to create a "rosy picture" devoid of the ground realities. The bench even remarked that the government won't gain anything by hiding the real picture. It said, "Suppression and concealment of accurate data would generate more serious problems, including fear, loss of trust, panic amongst public at large..." The government flatly denied any wrongdoing.</p>.<p>The government followed the High Court's directions in handling the pandemic and in making most of the crucial decisions that it should have made on its own. "It seemed as if the judiciary was doing the work of the executive and legislature. It's not that such things have never happened in the past, but it is bad for democracy in the long run," said a former IAS officer, requesting not to be quoted.</p>.<p><strong>Also read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/covid-19-is-mucormycosis-contagious-990204.html" target="_blank">Covid-19: Is mucormycosis contagious?</a></strong></p>.<p>The former official, who retired as an Additional Chief Secretary, added, "A state needs an independent leader who is taken seriously by everyone, especially by the bureaucrats. I don't want to lower anyone's image, but it's a fact that the state, home to incumbent prime minister (Narendra Modi) and union home minister (Amit Shah), who have ruled it for over 12 years, is not being run by state leaders. A leader has to be independent and shouldn’t have to look to Delhi for every decision concerning the state. Gujarat lacks in this regard."</p>.<p>In fact, since the pandemic broke out last year, the Rupani government has followed the guidelines issued by the Centre quite literally. There hasn't been any change or modification to suit the local demands or requirements. "We have followed every guideline of the central government, right from the beginning," confirms a senior IAS officer, part of the core group of the team handling the crisis.</p>.<p>"The present chief minister has inherited an idea that big announcements and propaganda are substitutes for governance. You start with this thinking, spend little on micro-planning, or taking stock of what is available. You need micro-planning and guts. For example, look at what happened when the Surat plague broke out in 1994. The then city commissioner turned the city from the dirtiest to the cleanest with planning and guts. The Surat success showed that culture could be changed," said retired professor Ghanshyam Shah.</p>.<p>He added that it's not a good sign to see the judiciary directing the government to do things that are not under its purview, and such a trend is terrible for democracy. As a matter of fact, according to officials, Anandiben Patel, who inherited the reins of the state from Narendra Modi in 2014, was considered an "independent leader" who could shake up things, including the bureaucrats on her own. She was replaced by Rupani, a low-profile leader from Rajkot who, as opposition Congress alleges, is "remotely controlled" from Delhi.</p>.<p>"The government has failed miserably in protecting the lives of citizens. The chief minister was busy making tall claims of drugs being imported from abroad, drugs being kept in reserve and what not, while people were dying for want of bed, medical attention, oxygen and drugs. The government's real face was unmasked. They were inaugurating hospitals with big photos of their supreme leaders while patients kept dying outside the hospitals as they were not allowed to enter. It was such a sad scene," said senior journalist Hari Desai.</p>