Delhi HC Orders Rs 1 Crore Compensation to Widow of School Principal Who Died on Covid Duty

The Delhi High Court has ordered the city government to pay Rs 1 crore in ex gratia compensation within eight weeks to the widow of a municipal school principal who died of Covid-19 while overseeing vaccination work at his school, setting aside an earlier order that had denied her the relief.

A division bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela delivered the ruling on an appeal filed by Girija Devi, wife of the late principal, who had challenged a single judge’s November 2024 decision that rejected her claim on the ground that her husband was not on Covid duty in April 2021.

Girija Devi had sought compensation under a Cabinet decision of May 13, 2020, by which the Delhi government announced that if any government officer deployed for Covid-19 duties died after contracting the virus in the course of such work, their family would receive Rs 1 crore ex gratia compensation.

In granting her relief, the bench relied on the Delhi government’s ex gratia policy, a 2023 letter from the Principal of the MCD Primary Boys’ School at Nithari confirming that her husband had been deployed on Covid duties, and departmental directives requiring principals’ presence during the pandemic.

Shivnath Prasad, who joined service in 1993 and was serving as the Principal of the MCD primary school in Nithari, tested positive for Covid-19 on April 24, 2021, while supervising vaccination at his school. He was admitted to Navjeevan Hospital the next day and died on April 28.

Following his death, his widow applied for compensation under the May 2020 scheme. However, the Revenue Department rejected her claim in December 2021, stating that he was not on Covid duty but on “regular duty.” A single judge of the High Court upheld this view in November 2024, prompting her to file an appeal.

Before the Division Bench, Girija Devi argued that her husband had been assigned Covid-related responsibilities at the school, including overseeing vaccination work, and placed reliance on the April 24, 2023, letter from the school Principal confirming his deployment on Covid-19 duties.

The central question before the court was whether the work carried out by her husband in April 2021 could be treated as “Covid duty” within the meaning of the government’s policy.

The Bench referred to the April 2023 letter, which stated that the late principal had been deployed to discharge various functions, including Covid-19 duties, and was involved in vaccination work at the school.

Holding that his death was attributable to Covid-19, the court observed, “Having regard to the fact that the letter dated 24.04.2023 clearly specified that the late husband of the appellant was deployed on Covid-19 duties, it is clear that his death, on contracting novel coronavirus, was not only relatable but also attributable to the discharge of such specific duties.”

The judges further noted that as head of the institution, Prasad was necessarily exposed to the risk of infection while supervising staff engaged in vaccination work. Given the airborne and mutating nature of the virus, they said, it would be “illogical” to adopt a narrow view and exclude him from the ambit of the policy. The court stressed that the May 2020 Cabinet decision was a welfare measure designed to protect families of those who died in the line of essential service, and therefore should not be interpreted pedantically.

“We have no hesitation in coming to the conclusion that the unfortunate demise of the appellant’s husband was caused on account of contracting novel coronavirus while discharging Covid-19 duties,” the judgment said.

Accordingly, the Division Bench directed the Delhi government to process Girija Devi’s application in light of the Principal’s letter and release the Rs 1 crore compensation within eight weeks. It also made clear that any delay in payment would attract simple interest at six per cent per annum for the period of default.

Case Title: Girija Devi v. The State of GNCT of Delhi Through Its Chief Secretary & Ors

Judgment Date:  04 September 2025

Bench: Chief justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela,