12-year-old moves Delhi High Court for COVID-19 vaccination of children in 12-17 years age group

A public interest litigation petition has been filed before the Delhi High Court seeking immediate vaccination of children falling in the age group of 12-17 years..For those below 12 years of age, the plea sought a direction to prioritise the vaccination of their parents. .The petitioners before the Court, 12-year-old Tia Gupta and one Roma Raheja who is the mother to an 8-year-old, submitted that government authorities are under obligation to protect children from parents or guardians who might expose them to COVID-19 and death.."Children are entitled to fundamental rights, just the way adults are. The State is obligated to recognize the vulnerability of children during this pandemic and accordingly take all suitable vaccination measures for them, along with other preventive medical infrastructure measures to ensure mitigation of the 'disaster'," the petition said. .The petitioners highlighted that there was evidence that non-vaccinated children were more likely to develop a new, more powerful COVID-19 strains as was reflected in the second wave. .The petitioners referred to medical opinion on the adverse impact of "third wave" on children to assert that vaccinating children would not only be an effective way of breaking the chain of transmission of COVID-19 virus in the country but would also enable them to lead a normal life and regain their childhood.."Vaccination drives, which are undertaken to mitigate the effect of a disease should be immediately put in place to with respect to children, in order to ensure the pandemic ends and children are able to exercise their right to life, by enjoying their childhood, including valuable relationships with friends and extended family (especially older adults), various forms of unstructured play, exploration and intellectual development, and to pursue them in a carefree way in the absence of unavoidable worries about risk," the petition said. .The petitioners also prayed for a direction to the authorities to formulate a comprehensive National Plan to protect children from all aspects of ill effects of the pandemic..The petition was filed through advocates Bihu Sterma and Abhinav Mukerji. .The petition would be heard tomorrow.