Plea on adverse effects of Covid vaccine: SC questions petitioners over trusting UK data

New Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) You trust the data put out by the United Kingdom but not the figures given by the Indian government, the Supreme Court on Thursday told the petitioners who claimed that authorities reported "alarmingly low" number of deaths due to adverse effects of Covid vaccine.

A bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing arguments on the pleas including the one which alleged that two women lost their lives in 2021 after taking the first dose of Covishield vaccine. It was alleged that after vaccination, both of them suffered from severe adverse effects following immunization.

The top court reserved its order in the matter.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for petitioners in one of the pleas, said the same vaccine was used in the UK and India administered 30 times more jabs as compared to the UK.

"The difference is so large that there seems to be a worrying discrepancy between the UK, which is putting its data transparently, and India which is hiding the data of deaths," he claimed, while referring to the number of vaccine-related deaths.

Justice Nath asked, "You believe that UK has put all the data correctly on the website and your country has not done it?" Gonsalves said the UK data seems to be correct but he could be corrected on that.

"You trust the data uploaded by the UK government... And you don't trust the data uploaded by our government," the bench said.

Gonsalves said the petitioners have prayed that an expert body independent of the government should look into it.

"I have no reason now to say anything about the government of India because what is done is done... It is worthy of an investigation. It is serious enough to warrant an investigation by a team independent of the government. That is what I am saying," he said.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, opposed the plea and said the issue was already dealt with earlier and the apex court had verdict its delivered in that matter.

She also referred to data about COVID-19 vaccination in India up to December 2024.

"The total doses administered in India is 220 crores. Total AEFI cases reported is 92,697, in percentage it is 0.0042," the law officer said, adding the total deaths reported was 1,171 which was 0.00005 per cent.

Bhati said minor cases were 89,854 and severe or serious cases were 2,843.

She said there are medical literatures to show that vaccine prevented deaths during the pandemic.

Bhati said India has a very robust mechanism and, "we can't say anything is fool proof. Every drug will have a side effect. The point is how it impacts me will not be the same how it impacts my colleague".

She said how a drug would impact different DNAs was also different.

"So something may have a different impact to European population. It may have a different impact to African population and different impact to Indian population," Bhati argued.

She said India followed a system of voluntary Covid vaccination.

"On voluntary vaccination, I think the petitioners have not had the occasion to live in China to really understand what compulsorily means," Bhati said, adding the government of India was encouraging, persuading and requesting citizens to take vaccination.

She said India's protocol was appreciated at the global level and vaccines have saved million of lives.

The bench asked the parties to submit their written submissions and said it would pass order after considering everything.

"We will take care of all your written submissions that you submit. We will accordingly pass appropriate orders whatever is required, whether a committee is to be constituted, not to be constituted, what directions are to be issued," Justice Nath said.

Gonsalves said many countries had stopped using this Covid vaccine.

He said comparing the government's data with that of the UK, the figure of deaths due to adverse effect after vaccination in India might roughly come to around 33,000.

"It is not perfect. I am just giving it to indicate that a possible way of doing a rough guess is this," he said, adding that an independent expert committee could look into this aspect.

The Centre had earlier told the apex court that Covid pandemic was "a disaster like no other" and vaccination saved people's lives.

The bench was told that the petitioners had filed an application seeking amendment in the relief clause, which included the government specifying the possible adverse effects and its treatment. PTI ABA ZMN