Two Mumbai-based lawyers on Friday filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking direction to the relevant authorities to allow door-to-door vaccination for people above the age of 75, and those who are physically challenged or bed-ridden, PTI reported.
The public interest litigation filed by lawyers Dhruti Kapadia and Kunal Tiwari has asked the court to give directions on the matter to the Centre, Maharashtra government and Mumbai’s civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. It said that senior citizens and physically handicapped people are not able to go to vaccination centres despite being eligible for the shot.
“It is the need of the hour for the Union government to start door-to-door vaccination so that senior citizens and specially-abled (both physical and mental) citizens are able to get the vaccine without having to leave their house,” the plea said, according to PTI, adding that if they do not get vaccinated, it will cause “further health disaster”.
It also suggested that the authorities could fix charges of around Rs 500 for providing the service, The Indian Express reported.
The plea cited the BMC’s letter requesting the Centre to allow the facility for senior citizens suffering from physical disabilities. The Centre had, however, turned down the request last month suggesting that door-to-door vaccination would slow down the inoculation drive as vaccinated people need to be checked up on after the jab.
The petition added that people above the age of 75 who live alone may not know how to register online and may be unable to book appointments independently and that they might have to wait for hours in queues at vaccination centres, PTI reported.
A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni is likely to hear the plea next week.
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