Delhi riots: SC refuses to stay criminal proceedings against former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay proceedings against former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain in FIRs registered against him in connection with the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.
A bench of justices Ajay Rastogi and CT Ravi Kumar said it is not inclined to interfere with the September 16 order of the Delhi High Court as it is an interim order.
Senior advocate Maneka Guruswamy, appearing for Hussain, said it is a settled law that there cannot be two FIRs for the same incident.
She said it has put Hussain in a peculiar situation that charges are framed against him for identical offences arising out of the same incident, and the same prosecution witnesses are relied upon by the investigating agency.
Hussain has moved the top court challenging the Delhi High Court's September 16 order.
The bench said it is not inclined to interfere with the high court order and all remedies are open to the petitioner.
It noted that the high court had issued notices on the applications moved by Hussain for quashing the FIR registered against him for rioting and under sections of the Arms Act at the Khajuri Khas police station, and the proceedings emanating from the FIR.
The top court said that the high court has posted the matter for further hearing on January 25 while refusing to stay proceedings on a separate application moved by Hussain saying multiple FIRs have been lodged for the same.
Hussain has been in judicial custody since March 16, 2020.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
