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Fury as Delhi luxury hotel booked as COVID hospital for court staff
Authorities in Delhi ordered a luxury hotel to be converted into a COVID-19 health facility for the exclusive use of high court judges and their families, drawing outrage in a city that has no hospital beds or life-saving oxygen for hundreds of people.
The local government said in a public notice on Monday night that it had received a request from the Delhi High Court because of the rapid rise in coronavirus infections and had reserved 100 rooms at the Ashoka Hotel for the higher judiciary.
The Delhi High court denied it had sought such treatment, and said it would quash the order unless the government modifies it.
“When did we ask for a 100-bed facility at a five-star hotel? We had only said if a judicial officer or a judge or their family is infected, they should get hospital admission,” the high court said.
The notice from the Delhi government had said a top city hospital would run the facility.
“Its unthinkable that we as an institution will want any preferential treatment”, the Delhi High Court said.
The court’s comments came on the heels of criticism by lawyers and citizens.
Jaiveer Shergill, a lawyer and spokesman of the main opposition Congress party, said the government decision flew in the face of the right to equality enshrined in the constitution and the court itself must reject the special treatment.
“For sake of justice, integrity and faith in the judicial system, Delhi’s high Court must quash the order,” he said.
The Indian capital is one of the worst-affected cites in the country’s explosive second wave, with every third person tested for the virus found to be positive.
Hospitals are turning away patients because they don’t have beds or oxygen to keep them alive. The city is reporting an average of one death every four minutes.
Judges have not been listed as front-line workers and most courts are operating virtually.
“The Delhi high court would do well to decline the Ashoka Hotel offer, or cancel it if they ordered it themselves,” said Aakar Patel, a political commentator and former head of Amnesty International India.
“We cannot have open discrimination practiced by those charged with preventing it.”
One government source said rooms were always kept aside for top public figures, including senior judges, at Delhi’s premier state-run All India Institute for Medical Sciences, and reserving a hotel was a case of panic and over-reach.
Others mocked the choice of the state-run Ashoka to take care of the judges and suggested they consider more opulent hotels in the capital.
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Pakistan to repatriate nearly 20,000 Afghans awaiting US resettlement
Authorities will also share verified data of the affected individuals with relevant departments to support implementation.
Pakistan will repatriate nearly 20,000 Afghan nationals currently awaiting resettlement in the United States, The Nation reported, citing official sources.
The move affects 19,973 Afghans living across Pakistan.
A federal directive will instruct provincial chief secretaries and police chiefs in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Islamabad Capital Territory to begin the repatriation process immediately.
Authorities will also share verified data of the affected individuals with relevant departments to support implementation.
Following the Islamic Emirate’s return to power in 2021, more than 100,000 Afghans fled to Pakistan, many of whom had worked with the US and UK governments, international organizations, or aid agencies.
Thousands have remained stranded in Pakistan for over four years while awaiting US resettlement clearance.
Prospects for relocation have dimmed amid a suspension of case processing by the US administration, according to The Nation.
Under Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP), all Afghan nationals still awaiting US relocation will now be returned to Afghanistan.
Terrorist activities continue to be observed along Afghanistan borders and along the India–Pakistan–Afghanistan corridor, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published on Monday.
Speaking to Russia-based media outlet TV BRICS, Lavrov pointed to ongoing concerns in the Middle East, including its Asian regions.
He highlighted the importance of collaboration with India at the United Nations to advance a global counter-terrorism convention.
Lavrov stated that while the draft convention has already been prepared, consensus on its adoption has not yet been reached.
Russia has repeatedly expressed concern about militant threats from Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate, however, has dismissed the concerns saying that it will not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against any country.
Noorullah Noori, Afghanistan’s Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, held a phone conversation with Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, to discuss bilateral border cooperation.
According to the Iranian news agency IRNA, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening border collaboration, with a particular focus on the ongoing renovation and updating of border markers. They also agreed to accelerate joint technical and legal meetings to enhance coordination.
As part of the agreement, the next meeting of senior border officials from Afghanistan and Iran is scheduled to take place in Iran in 1405 (2026–2027).
Tahawol: Pakistan’s Foreign Policy Failure of Towards Afghanistan discussed
Saar: Regional Problems, Opportunities, and Challenges discussed
Pakistan to repatriate nearly 20,000 Afghans awaiting US resettlement
Terrorist activities observed along Afghanistan borders, says Lavrov
Afghan border minister holds phone talks with Iran’s deputy foreign minister
Afghanistan–China joint market opens in Kabul
Pakistan approves re-export of stranded Afghan transit trade cargo
ATN secures broadcast rights to Carabao Cup semis across Afghanistan
Pakistan army orders evacuation of Tirah Valley, fears of mass displacement grow
Afghan traders sign deal to import pharmaceuticals from Bangladesh
Tahawol: Pakistan’s Foreign Policy Failure of Towards Afghanistan discussed
Saar: Regional Problems, Opportunities, and Challenges discussed
Saar: Afghanistan’s relations and opportunities with regional countries
Tahawol: Kabul’s response to Pakistan’s new accusation discussed
Saar: Discussion on Iran-US talks in Oman
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