Explain procedure of disposing bodies of Covid victims: HC to BMC, state

Taking cognizance of the petition filed by BJP MLA Ashish Shelar, which raised concerns over an incident at Sion hospital where Covid-infected patients were being

Taking cognizance of the petition filed by BJP MLA Ashish Shelar, which raised concerns over an incident at Sion hospital where Covid-infected patients were being treated next to the bodies of patients who succumbed to the virus, the Bombay high court (HC) has asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the state government to explain the process of handling and cremating bodies of infected people.

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The division bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice A A Sayyed, while hearing public interest litigations (PILs) filed by various individuals, organisations and politicos, was informed by Shelar’s advocates Rajendra Pai and Ameet Mehta that several videos from the hospital showing bodies of deceased Covid-patients kept on beds or the floor adjacent to people getting treated had emerged. They sought a direction to the state and the civic body to immediately stop the practice of keeping bodies of Covid-19 infected persons in wards where people are being treated.

The advocates said, “Retention of the dead bodies in active wards in Sion hospital is a matter of serious concern. It gives rise to medical as well as humanitarian issues. No civilised society can afford to repeatedly witness such incidents.”

In light of these submissions, Shelar sought directions to the authorities to initiate inquiry into the incident and register cases against the hospital staff responsible and to follow the procedure laid down by World Health Organization (WHO) and Central government for disposal of Covid-19 infected persons.

After hearing the submissions the court directed the state government and the BMC to respond with details on how bodies of deceased Covid-19 patients were handled and disposed. The matter was posted for hearing next week.

‘File separate PILs for issues on fee hike, subsistence packages’

The Bombay high court (HC) has also directed BJP MLA Ashish Shelar to file a separate petition seeking restraining orders against schools and educational institutions from hiking fees for the academic year and seeking directions to the state to provide subsistence packages for farmers, industries, shopkeepers and service providers who are unable to make a living due to the lockdown for a period of three months.

Shelar in a public interest litigation (PIL) had mentioned that he had received several complaints from parents against schools based in Bandra which had hiked fees by almost 10-30% for the academic year. As many people had lost their means of earning while others faced salary cuts, his petition sought restraining orders against private educational institutions from KG to PG and engineering and medical colleges from hiking fees for the academic year 2020-21.

The petition while referring to relief packages announced by various state governments for farmers, Ola and Uber drivers, shop owners and their employees among others, sought directions to the state government to announce similar subsistence packages for a period of three months.

After perusing the plea, the court suggested that the issues needed to be heard separately and hence directed Shelar to file a separate petition which included these issues.