NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre and others on a plea seeking directions for disclosure of data regarding clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines.
A bench of justices L Nageswara Rao and Hrishikesh Roy issued notice on the plea, and asked the Centre and others to respond to it within four weeks.
While hearing the plea, the bench referred to the problem of "vaccine hesitancy" in the country and asked advocate Prashant Bhushan, who was appearing for the petitioner, as to whether entertaining the petition would not create doubt in the minds of the citizens over vaccines.
While making it clear that neither it is an "anti-vaccine petition" nor the petitioner is seeking to stop Covid vaccination in the country, Bhushan said transparency on the issue was needed and disclosure of data would rather clear all the doubts.
The bench was hearing a plea seeking directions for disclosure of data on clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines and also on post vaccination.
The court also asked the Centre to submit the action taken report within two weeks on the recommendations of court-appointed National Task Force (NTF) on allocation of oxygen to states and Union Territories amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The top court said that since the NTF consists of senior doctors and experts from all over the country, it is imperative for the Centre to take steps to ensure that recommendations are duly implemented at the policy level to meet any exigencies in present and foreseeable future.
A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah posted the matter for further hearing after two weeks and listed it along with the suo motu matter on COVID preparedness.
The top court noted that the final NTF report has been submitted and an interim report of the sub-committee on evaluation of oxygen requirement of national capital has been filed.
The top court was hearing a plea filed by the Centre against the Delhi High Court order initiating contempt proceedings against central government officials for non-compliance of the direction to supply 700 MT of medical grade oxygen for COVID-19 patients in the national capital.
On May 5, the top court had stayed the contempt proceedings before the High Court.
On Jun 22, the NTF had recommended that the country should have strategic reserves of the life saving gas for 2-3 weeks of consumption on the lines of the arrangements made for petroleum products.