New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS): The Supreme Court on Monday imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on Delhi government Health Minister Satyendra Jain for failing to file an affidavit naming the officials allegedly not co-operating in the efforts to contain the chikungunya and dengue virus.

Apparently unhappy over the plea by Delhi government's lawyer seeking time to file the affidavit, a bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud observed: "People are dying, you don't need 24-hours to file an affidavit."

Reminding the Delhi government about its tall claims, the bench observed: "When you make tall claims you must back them up".

The apex court had asked the Delhi government to file an affidavit giving names of the officials which it had alleged in the last hearing were not co-operating in the drive to contain chikungunya and dengue.

The court imposed the cost in the course of the hearing of suo motu matter it had taken up in 2015 when parents of a child committed suicide after he died as was not treated at a hospital.