Centre moves SC against show cause notice of contempt over oxygen supply deficit in India

The Centre on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court against show cause notice of contempt to it by the Delhi high court over deficit in oxygen supply to Delhi.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the convenience of the special bench hearing the suo motu matter will be ascertained to see if this can be heard today.

The Delhi high court on Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to the Centre, asking it to explain why the court should not initiate contempt proceedings against it.

The notice, the high court said, was also over the "non-compliance" of the Supreme Court's order from May 2, directing the central government to rectify the issue of shortage of medical oxygen in Delhi's hospitals on or before the midnight of May 3. "You can put your head in sand like ostrich, we will not," the high court said.

"The Supreme Court has passed an order directing the Centre to ensure the supply. The Centre has submitted to us that a compliance affidavit is being filed before the Supreme Court tomorrow. We fail to understand what good a compliance affidavit will do when the required oxygen is not being brought to Delhi? Even the allocated oxygen has not been delivered on a single day," the high court said.

The high court further said that the central government has submitted that the Supreme Court has not directed it to supply 700 metric tonnes (MT) oxygen to Delhi. "We disagree with the Centre. The Supreme Court has clearly directed the Centre to provide 700 MT oxygen to Delhi per day," it added.

The Delhi high court said that the assurance that the central government gave to the apex court has "certainly not being fulfilled and we are personally seeing day after day hospitals and nursing homes running to us for emergency supply of oxygen."