mumbaiUpdated: Aug 29, 2020 01:56 ISTNotwithstanding the Covid-19 pandemic, a hospital cannot be shut down without following due process of law, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court (HC) said on Thursday while striking down an order passed by local authorities abruptly shutting down a hospital in Jalna. “If a particular procedure is prescribed for initiating appropriate steps with regard to complaints against a hospital, such procedure has to be necessarily followed. A drastic order of closure of the hospital cannot be passed under the pretext of Covid-19 Pandemic,” said the bench of justice Ravindra Ghuge and justice Shrikant Kulkarni. The bench rejected submissions advanced by government pleader DR Kale that a number of complaints were received about malpractices in the hospital and there was a public uroar about the mismanagement at the hospital while Covid-19 pandemic was spreading. “It was in these peculiar circumstances that a show-cause notice of hearing before issuing the order of closure could not be given,” Kale said.

Source: Hindustan Times August 28, 2020 20:26 UTC