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The Delhi High Court today sought fresh status report from the concerned authorities on a batch of pleas seeking seeking directions to the Delhi Government and Municipal Corporations to  ensure the right to die with dignity for Covid causalities and direct urgent increase in the number of crematorium grounds/burial sites and to make alternate arrangements for converting any park, field, open space, stadium, or any other similar place as cremation site/burial ground.

The division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh was hearing a batch of pleas seeking an urgent increase in the number of crematorium grounds/burial sites for people who have succumbed to Covid-19..

The Court had earlier on May 4 issued notice on the plea however today on submissions of the petitioners that there were irregularities in the report of the authorities with regard to the number of burial grounds in the national capital.

The petition filed by Pratyusha Prasanna, one of the petitioners stated that that the Government's lack of preparedness and non-empathetic handling of the second wave has created a humanitarian crisis in Delhi.

It was further submitted that “it is disheartening to submit that the people are seeking leads for crematorium social media platforms including leads for the freezer to keep the dead body of their loved ones until they find a slot in crematorium.This shows that there is a complete failure of the administrative machinery”.

Another petition filed by Sunil Kumar Aledia has sought installation of electric or CNG crematoriums in different parts of Delhi in view of large number of people dying due to Covid 19.

The Court has listed the matter for next hearing on September 6.

Case Title: Pratyusha Prasanna vs State of NCT Delhi and ors/ Sunil Kumar Aledia vs Government of NCT of Delhi