Judges of the Supreme Court, both present and former, and their families will begin receiving Covid-19 vaccine shots today, a day after India started the second phase of vaccination with Prime Minister Narendra Modi receiving his first dose of Covaxin at AIIMS. On Monday, a host of other ministers, including Union home minister Amit Shah, foreign minister S Jaishankar, and a number of chief ministers, were immunized. Justice Surya Kant, who is 59 years old, is the only one of the 30 judges who are not fit for vaccination.
The vaccination campaign in India reached its 40th day on March 1. On Monday, the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered since January 16 exceeded 1.47 crore, according to data from the Ministry of Health.
Senior citizens and individuals over 45 years old with comorbidities are vaccinated in the second process. Judges of the Supreme Court and their families who fall under this group will be vaccinated in compliance with the guidelines.
Since moving to video-conference hearings on March 24, 2020, the Supreme Court is planning to reopen physical hearings shortly.
During the pandemic, six Supreme Court judges and a significant number of staff members contracted the virus. It has now been determined that a hybrid form of hearing will be introduced soon, with the actual hearing taking place on particular days of the week.
"The Chief Justice of India claimed that the judges of the Supreme Court are ready to resume open court proceedings, but that there are medical and technical issues that the Supreme Court's registry is working to address. As a result, it will be done in stages "According to a recent press release from the Bar Council of India.
In addition to the vaccination facilities at the government hospitals identified for the vaccination, the Supreme Court registry has set up a vaccination facility on the premises. The cost of vaccination would be determined by the criteria set out by the federal government. A single shot in a private hospital will cost up to $250.
Covaxin, developed by Bharat Biotech, and Covishield, developed by Pune's Serum Institute of India, would be difficult for the judges to choose between.
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