High Court Asks Gujarat Government To Produce Real Data of Covid-19 Positive Cases And Deaths

Gujarat showed a spike in confirmed cases of COVID infection and its spread. Gujarat High Court had initiated a Suo motu PIL in view of the looming Covid-19 health emergency. This Suo motu PIL was passed on Friday, where Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Bhargav D Karia emphasised certain measures to be taken by the Gujarat Government in order to contain the spread of the virus.

High Court Of Gujarat Seeks Correct Data

The High Court asked Vijay Rupani, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, to be transparent and honest to the public about the Covid-19 infected cases and the number of fatalities. The Gujarat government was asked to provide the 'real picture' of the Covid scenario to the public. It further asked the Government to produce accurate data of the cumulative number of RT-PCR tests conducted in the State and the correct number of positive cases. The High Court said, "The state should not feel shy of publishing the correct data of testing results if such figures are not being correctly reported," reported The Times Of India.

'Avoid Fear, Distrust & Panic'

The Gujarat High Court also established that misleading data and concealment of the actual Covid figures would only induce a sense of fear, distrust and panic among the public, and therefore the Government should "need to have an honest and transparent dialogue with the public".

The judges affirmed that the Government is not to be held responsible for the spike in Covid cases, and it should produce real and authentic data of the deaths and positive cases due to Covid-19.

Crematorium Count Contradicts The Death Toll Put By The State

Official records of deaths in the Government Bulletin of four major cities of Gujarat show numbers much smaller than the number of bodies being cremated every day under covid protocols. The death toll in two major Government-run hospitals of Vadodara district SSG and GMERS, the cumulative death toll in a week in 350, whereas the official records show that there have been 300 deaths in the entire Vadodara district ever since the pandemic broke out.

In Bharuch district, the official data from the crematorium register display that at least 260 Covid-19 victims have been cremated in the district since April 7th 2021. However, the Government records establish the death toll in Bharuch district to be only 36 since last year.

The Rajkot district saw over 298 deaths in several hospitals within a span of seven days from April 8th 2021, but the death audit committee displayed only 57 deaths in the state 'purely' because of Covid, reported The Times Of India.

Also Read: Two Patients Seen Lying On The Same Bed - Is India Well Equipped To Deal With The Pandemic?