The High Court of Karnataka on Friday suggested to the State government to examine setting up a high-level committee comprising a retired judge of the High Court, and retired bureaucrats from different disciplines to address grievances of citizens due to the sudden surge in COVID-19 cases.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar told Additional Advocate General M. Dhyan Chinnappa to seek instruction from the government in setting up committee so that grievances of citizens can be considered by the committee and people need not knock on the doors of the courts.
The Bench, hearing PIL petitions on issues that had cropped up during the lockdown and unlock process of 2020, also told the AAG for information on the measures taken to ensure availability of sufficient beds in hospitals for COVID-19 patients, ambulance facilities, etc. When the counsel for petitioners pointed out that exorbitant charges are being demanded from people for cremation in the range of ₹30,000 to ₹40,000 and ambulances are not available in sufficient numbers for COVID-19 patients, the Bench asked the government to respond to the issues as the State is witnessing a sudden surge in the number of COVID-19 positive cases unlike in the first wave of the infection.
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The Bench adjourned further hearing till April 17 asking the government to submit its responses to the queries.