CJI meets SC Bar Association president as judges fall ill due to possible swine flu infection

Dushyant Dave confirmed that some judges were taken ill in the past few days

Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde met with Supreme Court Bar Association president and senior advocate Dushyant Dave on Tuesday to discuss urgent measures to prevent the spread of what is possibly swine flu infection among judges, advocates, staffers and litigants.

Mr. Dave confirmed that some judges were taken ill in the past few days.

The court began half an hour late on Tuesday. Some of the judges were on leave. Justice Sanjiv Khanna was seen wearing a mask in the courtroom. Justices Hemant Gupta, A.S. Bopanna and Abdul S. Nazeer were not attending court.

“I don’t know the exact number of judges but some of the judges are not well,” Mr. Dave said.

Justice D.Y. Chandrachud expressed his concern about chances of infection spreading. Justice Arun Mishra was heard cautioning people against coming to court if they were showing traces of infection.

“Justice Chandrachud spoke to me about his concern,” Mr. Dave said.

Mr. Dave said the CJI was concerned for the health of lawyers and litigants and informed him that a Central government dispensary would be set up immediately to treat the ill. Mr. Dave has also offered to financially help people unable to pay for their treatment.

An official source in the Supreme Court, however, said some judges had indeed been unwell last week, but all of them have made a full recovery.

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