In the midst of the COVID-19 emergency, the Supreme Court today declined to overturn a Karnataka High Court order ordering the Central government to instantly raise the State’s oxygen supply to 1,200 metric tonnes (MT) a day.
The order was issued by Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah in response to the Central govt’s petition against the Karnataka High Court’s May 5 order.
When the hearing started today, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Bench that these orders would be “impractical” if they were issued by High Courts. Justice Chandrachud responded by saying,
“We’ve read the decision and are familiar with the cases. We’ll call it a well-considered and balanced order.”
The Central government argued in its petition to the Supreme Court that the High Court failed to understand the reason for allocating specific quantities of oxygen to each state.
According to the Centre’s argument, the High Court order “will potentially contribute to asset mismanagement and generate an even more volatile atmosphere in an already overloaded framework.”
Lawcutor 