A PIL has been filed before the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court seeking directions to the Central and the state governments for the payment of ex-gratia compensation to the families of persons who have lost their lives due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Division Bench of Justices Ritu Raj Awasthi and Manish Mathur listed the PIL, filed by Dr Sandeep Pandey through Advocate Rajat Rajan Singh, for July.
The petitioner has prayed for ex-gratia compensation under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 for persons who have lost their lives due to thr Covid-19 pandemic. The petition also seeks refund of the cost of hospitalization from the State Relief Fund.
Petitioner Advocate has pointed out that Section 12 of the Disaster Management Act mandates payment of ex-gratia amount to the person affected by the disaster.
The counsel informed the Court that after filing the writ petition, he has come to know that the Apex Court in a suo motu matter vide order dated April 30, 2021 has suggested the Central Government to consider payment of compensation etc. to the victims.
Additional Chief Standing Counsel H. P. Srivastava informs that the Court at Allahabad is also dealing with a PIL in which the issue pertaining to Covid-19 has been taken up.
“List this case in the month of July, 2021. In the meantime, in case any decision in this regard is taken by the Apex Court or by this Court at Allahabad, that may be brought on record,” the Court said.