New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS): The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the Delhi government to respond on a contempt application seeking initiation of proceedings against the latter's top officials and others for alleged non-compliance with an order to take action and regulate online pathological labs.

A single-judge bench of the high court presided over by Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, asked the Delhi government counsel to take instruction after he submitted that the Clinical Establishment Act is not applicable in Delhi.

The court has now slated the matter for further hearing on January 29, 2021.

Advocate Shashank Deo Sudhi, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that online aggregators such as 'healthian' and '1 mg' are allegedly operating illegally in Delhi.

Sudhi also contended that these online aggregators are playing with the lives of the common people and must be banned.

The plea sought initiation of contempt proceedings against Delhi Chief Secretary, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Directors General of Health Service and ICMR for allegedly not complying with a court order to take action against allegedly illegal online health service aggregators operating in Delhi and to regulate online pathological labs.

The contempt petition, moved by one Rohit Jain, said that the respondent has completely failed to comply with the said order of this court by not taking appropriate legal actions against online health aggregators despite the direction.