Supreme Court questions National Task Force’s slow pace of work: Must expedite

The Supreme Court on Tuesday noted that the National Task Force (NTF), set up to establish safety protocols for healthcare professionals, has made little progress. The court directed the government to take steps to ensure the task force completes its work within a reasonable time.
A bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud observed that no meetings of the task force had been held since September 9.
”What has the task force done after September 9? Why (there is) no meeting after September 9? Why is there no progress? It must expedite the work,” the bench said.
Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, informed the court that an affidavit had been submitted outlining the actions taken by the National Task Force (NTF) to date.
He described the NTF’s efforts as “humongous” and assured that it was working toward a lasting solution to the challenges faced by healthcare professionals. Mehta also assured the court that the NTF would accelerate its efforts.
”It appears that neither the National Task Force nor the subgroups have made any substantial progress pursuant to the remit set in the orders of this court. The SG has accepted that no meeting appears to have been held since the first week of September 2024. We are of the view that the Union of India must take proactive efforts to ensure that the task of the task force is completed within a reasonable period in the future,” noted the bench.
The court ordered that meetings be held regularly and asked for updates on tentative recommendations. The court set a tentative deadline of three weeks for the task force to present its progress.