COVID19: Delhi High Court Issues Notice In Plea Seeking To Formulate Plan For Facilities Pertaining To Dead Bodies In Wake Of The Pandemic

Delhi High Court has on Monday issued notice in plea seeking directions to the Delhi Government to formulate and implement an effective plan with sufficient infrastructure to provide certain facilities to people pertaining to the dead bodies probably infected from Corona like mortuary, funeral, transportation and handling facilities in this high time of urgency.

A division Bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh has issued the notice returnable on June 4th 2021.

The plea filed by Advocate Mujeeb Ur Rehman has sought the following facilities to be made available through the plan, in respect of dead bodies:

• A dedicated 24x7 telephone helpline number to provide services and transportation facility and Dedicated teams of trained people

• Preparing sufficient mortuaries, funeral places for respectful cremation.

• Invite NGOs and Volunteers and trained them with necessary training so they can be resourceful in performing this social service

The plea has stated that the petitioner came to know through various sources that the people of Delhi are also severely suffering due to the lack of mortuary facilities, lack of funeral facilities, and absence of dead body transportation and handling facilities.

The plea has cited the example a person named Laxman Tiwari, whose family succumbed to covid, and no one stepped to help him wither their cremation. After 22 hours of absolute misery and despair and SOS calls, his parents finally got a 'respectful' farewell.

"The sight of a four-year-old staring at the decaying corpses of his grandparents for almost a day while his father begs and pleads with neighbours and strangers for help is nothing but a slur on humanity. This writ petition will be beneficial for all such people like Laxman Tiwari and his 4-year-old-son in turn public at large" the plea has stated.

According to the petitioner, the present petition will be effective in sharing the sufferings of all such people who are helpless and waiting for respectful farewell of their loved ones.