The High Court of Calcutta bench presided by Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty has directed the state government to file a status report on the steps taken by them for burial of COVID 19 patient’s dead body.
The bench was hearing a petition filed by Advocate Smarajit Roychowdhury, a resident of Howrah who informed the court that adjacent to his residence there is a graveyard where on 3rd April, 2020 the local administration allowed the dead body of one Basarat Mollah, who expired due to Coronavirus, to be buried though no death certificate was produced.
The petitioner appearing in person submitted that “such action is derogatory to the guidelines issued by the Health Organisation pertaining to Infection Prevention and Control for the Safe Management of a Dead Body in the Context of COVID-19.”
Further, Howrah being recently declared as the hotspot, the petitioner has alleged that the State authorities have not taken proper steps to ensure burial of COVID 19 patients dead body in accordance with the prescribed guidelines.
The bench has directed the state government to take all necessary steps strictly in consonance with the guidelines issued by the authorities and to apprise the court about the developments and steps taken on the next date of hearing.
The matter has been listed for hearing on June 8.
–India Legal Bureau