Delhi High Court Seeks Latest Status Report From Local Bodies Indicating Steps For Increasing Use Of Electric & CNG Operated Crematoriums

The Delhi High Court on Monday sought a latest status report from city's local bodies indicating the steps being taken by them for increasing the use of electricity and CNG for the purpose of cremations, in substitution of wood.

A bench comprising of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla also directed the local bodies to indicate the details and particulars of the cremation grounds falling within their respective jurisdictions.

The Bench was dealing with a batch of petitions filed amid the surge in cases relating to COVID-19 seeking directions for dignified burial or cremation of dead bodies.

Today, the Court directed that the latest status report should also disclose the number of electric and CNG operated crematoriums and whether or not they are all functioning.

The Bench directed the status report to be filed within a period of four weeks while posting the matter for further hearing on 12 July.

One of the petitions filed by Advocate Pratyush Prasanna against the Delhi Government, Union of India, National Disaster Management Authority and others sought right to die with dignity for Covid casualties.

The petition was filed on May 1 last year, when the second wave of Covid-19 was at its peak. Notices on the plea were issued on May 4, 2021.

Prasanna had claimed that during the second wave, Delhi had turned into a "graveyard" and given the lack of burial/ cremation grounds, people were being deprived of performing last rites and rituals of their loved ones.

He highlighted that crematoriums at various places in Delhi were stretched to maximum and therefore sought directions for increasing the number of mortuaries, crematoriums across Delhi.

He also sought alternative arrangements by converting parks, fields, stadiums etc. as cremation site.

Another plea, filed by one Jaswinder Singh Jolly through Advocates Naginder Benipal and Harpreet Singh Hora also sought designation of additional cremation grounds. The cases were then tagged together.

Case Title: Pratyush Prasanna v. State NCT of Delhi and other connected matters