E-Paper
Covid-19: Delhi HC notice to city govt over plea seeking ₹1 crore compensation for man’s death
The Delhi high court on Friday asked the city government as to why it did not disburse the promised ₹1 crore compensation to the family of Delhi Police constable Amit Kumar, who had succumbed to Covid-19 last year in the line of duty
The Delhi high court on Friday asked the city government as to why it did not disburse the promised ₹1 crore compensation to the family of Delhi Police constable Amit Kumar, who had succumbed to Covid-19 last year in the line of duty.
In her plea, constable Kumar’s wife Pooja (single name only) said she was running from pillar to post to secure the compensation promised by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in a tweet on May 7, 2020, a day after the death of her husband. She also stated that her husband was the first person from the force to succumb to Covid-19.
Justice Amit Bansal issued notice on the plea in which 28-year-old Pooja also stated that Kumar was the sole breadwinner of the family and in the wake of his death, she was in a dire financial crisis. Pooja, who was pregnant at the time of her husband’s death, now has two children -- one aged five years and the other five months.
Advocate Rizwan, additional standing counsel, Delhi government, told the court that the compensation has been delayed due to administrative reasons and the CM’s tweet is not being disputed. He also said every day, it’s in the newspapers that the Delhi government is taking steps to disburse compensation to various people.
He sought time from the court to file his response to the plea.
Bansal, while granting four weeks to the Delhi government to file its response, posted the matter to July 23 saying he would not keep the matter pending for long.
