Why Centre's approval needed for door-to-door vaccination? HC asks Maharashtra govt

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday asked the Maharashtra government why it needs an approval from the Centre to start door-to-door vaccination programme for senior citizens, specially-abled and bedridden persons in the state.

The state government on Tuesday filed an affidavit in the HC, saying home vaccination on an experimental basis can be started, but only for those who are completely immobile and bedridden.

It, however, also said the proposal will have to be first approved by the Union government. "Why do you (Maharashtra government) need approval? Health is a state subject too. Is the state government doing everything after taking approval from the Centre? Have states like Kerala, Bihar and Jharkhand taken approval from the Union government? a division bench of Chief Justice DipankarDatta and Justice G S Kulkarni asked.

Meanwhile, the Bombay HC on Tuesday said the Mumbai police, probing instances of fake vaccination camps against COVID-19 in the city, must identify the "big fish" in such cases and should not spare them. A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni also directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to inform the court about steps that the civic body proposed to take to check those duped by such camps for antibodies and any adverse effects on their health because of the fake vaccine.

The court was hearing a bunch of public interest litigations (PILs) on increasing the accessibility of citizens to the vaccination drives against COVID-19.