India is currently the world’s most troubled Covid hotspot and it seems that various estimates which predict that by the middle of May daily 5 lakh+ cases is going to be the ‘new normal’ is coming to be true. The data of the last 24 hours is a credible indicator- there have been 3.8 lakh new Covid-19 cases and nearly 3500 deaths. Among a series of questions the apex court raised on the day, the one which will presumably attract greater attention of the media was the vaccine pricing formula, which by now has been hardly convincing. The differential pricing of vaccines for the Centre, States and private hospitals is “very, very disturbing,” the bench noted while seeking an explanation from the Centre over the logic of such price slabs. “Why cannot the government buy all vaccines and proceed on the lines of the National Immunization Programme and provide it free to all citizens,” the court asked. Furthermore, the court has asked why prices of vaccine is so high in India when AstraZeneca is providing it at a far lower price in the US .These is exactly what all citizens are asking now and correctly so. In yet another fine instance of standing by the citizens at this hour of crisis, the SC has categorically instructed there should be no clampdown on flow of information if citizens communicate their grievances relating to deficiencies of Covid treatment facilities on social media and such measures (harassment of citizens) will be held as contempt of court. How will the Centre ensure registration of vaccines for illiterate people and those without internet access and how will it be made sure that any one state doesn’t gets undue priority over others in getting vaccines- were the other piercing questions.

The questions raised by the SC itself prove that time has come for some serious course corrections. Delays will lead to further destruction.