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The Supreme court today expressed satisfaction with Centre's decision on Covid-19 death certificate for granting compensation. The Court however said that there were few issues that required consideration including cases of suicidal death of Covid positive patients to be brought within its ambit.

The division bench of Justices MR Shah and AS Bopanna said that it is prima facie of the view that such suicidal cases of covid positive patients be treated as covid death.

The Centre has assured  the court it that it will re-examine the issue.

On September 3 the Court had asked the Centre to file a detailed compliance affidavit by September 11 while hearing the petition  filed by lawyer Gaurav Kumar Bansal, seeking an ex-gratia compensation for those family members, who died due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Centre, in its affidavit filed before the Apex Court, said that it had laid down guidelines for issuance  of Covid Death Certificates.  The Centre in its affidavit has said that deaths occurring due to poisoning, suicide, homicide and deaths due to accident, among others, will not be considered as COVID-19 deaths, even if COVID-19 is an accompanying condition.

The Court had earlier directed the Central government to issue simplified guidelines for issuance of an official document relating to COVID-19 deaths to the family members of the deceased, who died due to coronavirus.

The apex court had directed that such guidelines may also provide the remedy to the family members of the deceased who died due to COVID-19 for correction of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death/Official Document issued by the appropriate authority.

Case Title: Gaurav Kumar Bansal vs UOI and Ors