The Meghalaya High Court has filed a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) against the State government regarding the orders of the various deputy commissioners that makes its mandatory for shopkeepers, vendors, taxi drivers and others to get themselves vaccinated with Covid vaccine before they can resume their businesses.
The PIL was filed by the Registrar General of Meghalaya High Court. The Meghalaya government was made a respondent in the case.
“Whether vaccination can at all be made mandatory and such mandatory action can affect the right of a citizen to earn his or her livelihood is an issue which requires consideration,” the PIL said.
Further, the PIL also took up the “implementation of schemes affecting the poor people in the State who have been hit by the lockdown”.
“It has been brought to the notice of the High Court that improper implementation of the government welfare schemes meant for the marginalised section of society has affected their right to life,” the PIL said.
The High Court said that the two matters are of profound public interest affecting the fundamental rights of the common people “necessitating immediate intervention by this court”.
It may be mentioned that the East Khasi Hills district administration has recently issued an order that shopkeepers and their staff who have not taken the Covid vaccination will not be permitted to open from June 24 onwards.
The order also said that shop owners have to display the vaccination status of their staff at a prominent place in their shop.
The order also said that all drivers of commercial vehicles including local taxis, tourist taxis and buses have to be vaccinated at least with the first dose before they are permitted to resume operation.
The order has received mixed reaction from the people of the State. A section of people feel that mandatory vaccination was needed to check the spread of Covid-19 pandemic while others said that forcing vaccination on people including shopkeepers and drivers of commercial vehicles was unjustified and a violation of the fundamental rights of a person.
Pressure groups like KSU, FKJGP, HNYF and HYC have also expressed their disagreement with the directive for mandatory vaccination and asked the State government to revoke the order.
