SC asks Tamil Nadu govt to use 4 floors of pvt hospital for COVID patients

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (May 27) allowed the Tamil Nadu government to use top four floors of a Chennai-based private hospital for treating COVID-19 patients.

The top court asked the Tamil Nadu government to have arrangements with the private hospital regarding doctors, nursing staff and other facilities for treating COVID-19 patients.

On June 3 last year, the top court had stayed the Madras High Court judgement ordering demolition of top five floors of the eight-storey block of Billroth Hospitals Ltd for alleged violation of the approved building plan. It had however directed the hospital not to use these top five floors for any activity.

A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bolana and Hrishikesh Roy, in a hearing held Wednesday through video conferencing, permitted the state government to use top four floors of the hospital for its own use.

Senior advocate N K Kaul, appearing for the hospital, had sought permission to use these floors for COVID-19 patients saying that at least 150 beds will be allotted for such patients. The hospital had told the apex court that it had applied under the 2017 building regularisation scheme of Tamil Nadu for regularisation of the floors.

The hospital, having 250 beds, had said that it was operational since 2005-2006 and the authorities can decide on its application for regularisation within a month. “For the time being we will grant stay but you will not use these floors (fourth to eighth). You had build it till eighth floor in 2009 with impunity. You used it without any sanctioned building plan”, the apex court had said.