New Delhi: Describing the process explained by the Central Government for issuing death certificates on death from corona as complicated, the Supreme Court said that it should be considered to be simplified.
Also, for those whose death certificates have been issued earlier, but the cause of death is not recorded as the corona, there should be a system of improvement in them so that their relatives can get the benefit of the announced schemes.
Decision reserved on demand of four lakh compensation on death from Corona
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During the hearing, the court asked the Center whether the NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority), headed by the Prime Minister, had taken any decision regarding not giving Ex-Gratia an amount of Rs. A vacation bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and MR Shah reserved its decision on Monday after a detailed hearing on the demand for compensation of Rs 4 lakh on death from Corona.
The petitions have also sought to register the cause of death in the death certificate from Corona on the death certificate.
The court had asked the Center on the last hearing whether there is any uniform policy regarding the issuance of death certificates.
Supreme Court calls the process of issuing death certificates complicated
In the affidavit filed by the Central Government in the court, the entire process of issuing the death certificate was explained. During the hearing on Monday, Justice MR Shah told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, that prima facie the process of issuing death certificates appears to be quite complicated.
The process should be simple. Not only this, those whose death certificate has been issued, but the cause of death is not recorded as the corona, there should also be a system of improvement.
In many cases, both parents have died. Only children are left. Somewhere only the elderly are left in the family. The cause of death is not written as corona in the death certificate. Some other reason was given.
Like a heart attack or something. In such a situation, how will the victim's family get the benefit of the announced scheme? Shouldn't it be that the person whose report has come corona positive and is admitted to the hospital is issued a death certificate from the corona?
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The bench also said that sometimes even after the corona report comes negative, later problems arise. The bench asked Mehta to do something about it. Mehta assured me to look into the issue. He said that it is mandatory to certify any death due to corona as death according to the rules. Not doing so is punishable.
The bench said that different compensation is being given in different states. Shouldn't there be a uniform compensation policy?
The Solicitor General said that the states are declaring different compensation to their citizens. They do not do this from the SDRF fund but from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund etc. In the affidavit of the Center, it was said that compensation of Rs 4 lakh cannot be given to the relatives on death due to corona.
It is beyond economic capability. But on Monday, Mehta said that we are not saying that the government does not have money, but we are spending on other things related to disaster management, such as strengthening health infrastructure, food for all, vaccination, etc. This pandemic is different from others. One-time compensation cannot be given in this.
On the petitioners' demand of four lakh compensation, Justice Shah said that all epidemics are different. If the severity and prevalence of the epidemic are high, then it cannot be said that the same rule should be adopted for all epidemics.
Terming the non-inclusion of funeral staff in the insurance cover to the front line workers as an important issue, Mehta said that it would be considered. He said it was a valid concern. The members of crematoriums who cremate people who died of corona have not been brought under the purview of the insurance scheme. I will consider this aspect.
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