[COVID-19 Bed Scam] Karnataka High Court refuses to entertain plea against Tejasvi Surya by Youth Congress leader YB Srivatsa

The Karnataka High Court this week refused to entertain a petition moved by Youth Congress Leader YB Srivatsa against BJP MP and lawyer Tejasvi Surya and others on behalf of 17 Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) workers who were suspended in the wake of the alleged COVID-19 bed scam..The PIL was filed against Surya and other leaders, who barged into the BBMP war room and read out the names of the BBMP officials belonging to the Muslim community in a bid to unearth the alleged bed scam. The officials were subsequently suspended, prompting the Youth Congress to raise serious concerns over the episode. The plea filed before the High Court reportedly termed the incident as an attempt to communalize the issue and target a particular community..During the hearing, the Court observed that the plea was politically motivated and was not filed in pubic interest..“The persons who have been suspended can always approach the Court. The petitioner is not a pro bono petitioner. Only on that ground, we dispose of this petition,” a Division Bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Suraj Govindaraj observed in its order..The Court observed that as the alleged bed scam was being probed and the Central Crime Branch (CCB) has been directed to file a report, there was no requirement for it to look into the instant plea..Surya had alleged that BBMP officials and hospitals were part of an "underground business" where the latter 'blocked' beds under fake names to make money, at a time when COVID-19 cases were rising in the State.This deprived thousands of COVID-19 patients of proper medical care and hospital beds in Karnataka's capital city, it was alleged. At least 4,065 beds were 'blocked' under fake names by the hospitals to make a killing, it was reportedly alleged by the BJP MP.However, things took an ugly turn when a video of Surya reading out a list of Muslim BBMP workers went viral..After the suspension, the 17 officials were later reinstated to the BBMP war room..On a related note, the Court, on Wednesday, urged that the investigation into the hospital bed scam alleged by Surya be regularly monitored by an experienced senior IPS officer, considering the sensitive nature of the case.The alleged bed scam was brought to the notice of the Court by advocate GR Mohan, while the Court was hearing a case registered suo motu on COVID-19 management in the State.The matter will be next heard on May 20.