Delhi High Court Issues Notice In Plea Seeking Ex Gratia Payment To Families Of Judicial Officers, Court Staff Who Lost Their Lives Due To Covid

The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice in a plea seeking ex gratia payment to the kith and kin of judicial officers and members of the court staff in tune of Rs. 1 Crore and 50 Lakhs respectively who have lost their lives due to covid 19 virus. The plea also seeks direction to declare late Kovai Venugopal and Kamran Khan, judicial officers who recently succumbed to covid 19, as frontline workers.

A division bench comprising of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh. The notice has been issued to the Respondents GNCTD, Department of Finance, GNCTD, Department of Home Affairs, Delhi Secretariat, Department of Law and Justice, Delhi and Delhi High Court through its Registrar General.

The petition moved by Advocate Tanveer Ahmed Mir states that the respondent authorities have shown "little empathy towards such officers and their kith and kin" who have lost their lives while performingtheir duties without any fail as frontline warriors in the implementation of justice.

Stating that at the onset of the covid pandemic last year, when lower judiciary in most parts of the Country was not functioning, the plea highlights that the Delhi High Court as well as the Subordinate judiciary played a pivotal and exemplary role in setting up immediate redressal mechanisms for conducting virtual hearings.

"During this period of time a number of court staff members belonging to the lower judiciary as well as judicial officers got infected but nevertheless attended the court hearings, facilitated the same for the benefit of general public at large." The plea states.

Furthermore, the plea also states that the respondents miserably failed in performing their duties and abdicated their legal, political and social responsibility in protecting the life of a large number of legal professionals, judges and court staff who were at a risk of contacting the covid 19 virus.

"It is submitted that inaction on part of the respondents in providing no guarantees of medical reimbursement of medical expenses incurred at private hospitals at huge unbearable exorbitant rates, is also liable to be struck down and immediate directions need to be immediately passed to instill confidence in the judicial community that all medical expenses would be reimbursed irrespective of whatever hospitals, private, semi-private are used for medical treatment. It is submitted that inaction on part of respondents No. 1 to 4 is in gross violation of the rights of the effected members under Articles 14, 19 & 21 of Constitution of India." The plea reads.