Plea against ICMR advisory barring repeat of RTPCR on Covid patients

The ICMR's advisory barring repeat of RTPCR on those who tested positive for COVID-19 has been challenged in the Delhi High Court which sought response of the Centre and Delhi government

The Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) advisory barring repeat of RTPCR on those who tested positive for COVID-19 has been challenged in the Delhi High Court which on Tuesday sought response of the Centre and Delhi government on the issue.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh also issued notice to ICMR and sought their stand on the plea by a lawyer.

The petitioner has challenged ICMR's May 4 advisory as due to it, neither he nor his family members could get tested again after spending more than 17 days in quarantine from April 28 when they first tested positive.

He has contended that the May 4 advisory was "arbitrary, discriminatory and creates a paradoxical situation since a negative RTPCR report is compulsorily required by several other notifications issued by the respondents (Centre, ICMR and Delhi government)".

He has sought striking down of the clause in the advisory which bars repeating of an RTPCR test on someone who has already tested positive by way of Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) or RTPCR.

The petitioner has also sought a direction permitting testing of himself and his family members.