Supreme Court notice to government over alleged vaccine-related deaths of 2 girls

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the government in connection with the death of two girls who allegedly died post Covid-19 vaccination.

The parents of the girls had filed a writ petition in the court seeking a writ, order or direction for appointment of an expert medical board, independent of the government, to inquire into and investigate the deaths of their daughters, to share the report with them, as well as a writ, order or direction to the said expert medical board to prepare a protocol for early detection and timely treatment of AEFI due to Covid-19 vaccine and compensation to the them. “The court agreed to hear the matter and issued notice to the Union of India today,” confirmed Hetvi Patel, lawyer of Venugopalan Govindan, whose 18-year-old daughter Karunya died last year. In a petition filed, Govindan has alleged that his daughter Karunya died after a month of getting the vaccine.

He has further alleged that neither he nor his daughter were informed in advance of the risk of such severe AEFI and their informed consent was not taken. Govindan and another parent – Rachana Gangu from Hyderabad, who lost her daughter Rithaika after getting the shot – had filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court last year.