HC acts on petition seeking 'vaccination trip' for minor daughter
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Maharashtra government to reply to a petition of a city-based couple, seeking the court's help in sending their minor daughter to the US for vaccination against the COVID-19 infection. A bench of Justices SS Shinde and Abhay Ahuja directed the state to file the reply within a week.
The girl is entitled to get vaccinated in US
The bench was hearing a plea filed by south Mumbai residents Viral and Bijal Thakker. As per the plea filed through senior Counsel Milind Sathe, the couple's daughter holds an Overseas Citizen of India card and is entitled to receive the vaccine in the US.
Minor US citizen can travel with non-citizen parent or guardian
The couple urged the HC to appoint the girl's maternal aunt, Purvee Parekh, who is also a co-petitioner, as her legal guardian so that she can travel with her niece. The plea said due to COVID-19, the US had restricted the travel of Indians, with the exception of American citizens, and a minor US citizen can be accompanied by a non-citizen parent or guardian.
Centre and US embassy should be involved: State counsel
It said while the Indian government has currently approved vaccination for 18 years and above, the US administration allows inoculation of all those aged 12 and above. On Tuesday, the state's counsel, Poornima Kantharia, said Sathe must make the Union government and the US embassy parties to the case. She said the state wasn't the authority in the present case to take any decision.
Court will continue hearing the plea next week
Advocate Sathe said he will make the Union government a party, but as per the existing rules, the embassy could not be made a party in the present plea. The court will continue hearing the plea next week. Meanwhile, On Tuesday, India recorded 1.27 lakh new COVID-19 cases (the lowest in 54 days) and 2,795 deaths (the lowest in 35 days).
