High court asks govt, 3 municipal corps for status of Delhi’s burial grounds

The high court filed a PIL and quoted Hindustan Times’ May 28 report that detailed how all 80 storage racks at Lok Nayak hospital’s Covid-19 mortuary were full and 28 bodies were on the floor.

The Delhi high court on Thursday issued notices to the city government and the three municipal corporations directing them to apprise the court of the status of the Capital’s crematoriums and burial grounds of the city.

The Delhi high court on Thursday issued notices to the city government and the three municipal corporations directing them to apprise the court of the status of the Capital’s crematoriums and burial grounds of the city. (Ajay Aggarwal/HT PHOTO)

The high court filed a PIL and quoted Hindustan Times’ May 28 report that detailed how all 80 storage racks at Lok Nayak hospital’s Covid-19 mortuary were full and 28 bodies were on the floor. The Court also quoted on how eight bodies were returned from Nigambodh Ghat on Tuesday because the facility was not in a position to accept more bodies, as only two of the three CNG furnaces were working and that bodies of those who had died five days ago were yet to be cremated.

The court noted that the state of affairs, if true, was ‘”highly dissatisfactory and violative of the rights of the dead.”

“We thus take suo moto cognizance of the aforesaid violations of human rights and by this order bring the same to the notice of the Chief Justice, to take up the aforesaid matter in public interest, for issuing requisite directions,” the court said.

The matter will now be heard on Friday.