COVID-19: HC adjourns hearing on plea against Delhi govt's decision to reserve ICU beds in Pvt hospitals

New Delhi [India], January 8 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Friday adjourned the hearing on a petition challenging the Delhi government's order to reserve 80 per cent of intensive care unit (ICU) beds in 33 private hospitals for COVID-19 patients till January 12.
A single-judge bench of Justice Navin Chawla deferred the matter after the Delhi government's counsel sought adjournment.
Representing the Delhi government, advocate Urvi Mohan sought adjournment on the ground that Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain is busy with some other matter in the Supreme Court.
However, counsel appearing for petitioner Association of Healthcare Providers (India), senior advocate Maninder Singh, told the court that many ICU beds are lying vacant in the private hospitals.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government has filed a fresh affidavit relating to the issue.
The high court had earlier asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to consider reviewing its decision of reserving 80 percent ICU beds for COVID-19 patients in 33 private hospitals.
On November 12, the high court's division bench had vacated a stay imposed by a single-judge bench on the Delhi government's order on the reservation of 80 per cent ICU beds in 33 private hospitals for COVID-19 patients observing that there is a rise in the number of infections related to the virus in the national capital.
The single-judge bench had stayed the order passed by the Delhi government instructing private hospitals in Delhi to reserve 80 per cent of ICU beds for COVID-19 patients while hearing a petition moved by the Association of Healthcare Providers (India). The Delhi Government had challenged it in the division bench of high court. (ANI)