Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Sep 26: The Delhi High Court ordered the Delhi government to provide the husband and minor kid of the health worker who died while on Covid-19 duty Rs 1 crore in Ex Gratia compensation.
The deceased’s husband had filed a suit asking the government to compensate him.
The Delhi government has been ordered by Justice Prathiba M. Singh’s ruling to pay the deceased’s spouse and her minor son compensation.
“It is directed that a sum of Rs. 50 lakhs be released to the Petitioner-Joseph Varghese. The remaining sum of Rs. 50 lakhs shall be released to the son. The said amount of Rs. 50 lakhs released to the son shall be retained by way of an FDR in the name of the minor Mr. Akshay Varghese Joseph by the Petitioner,” Justice Singh said in the judgement passed on September 21.
It was stated that the Petitioner Joseph Varghese is the husband of the Late Rachel Varghese (Deceased), who was employed by the Medeor Hospital, Qutub Institutional Area, New Delhi (previously known as Rockland Hospital) as a Quality Manager in the Blood Bank, which is close to the Intensive Care Unit (‘ICU’).
The petitioner claims that during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the deceased consistently performed her responsibilities in the hospital’s blood bank when it was designated as a COVID-19 facility on May 24, 2020, by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
“She developed fever on June 10, 2020 and unfortunately, passed away on June 17, 2020, due to COVID-19,” the petitioner said.
In accordance with the Cabinet Decision of May 13, 2020, about the giving of compensation to family of employees who die of the disease while on COVID-19 duty, the spouse of the deceased moved the petition and pleaded for the issuance of ex-gratia compensation.
According to Advocate Satyakam, ASC for the GNCTD, the Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting was held on September 13, 2023, and it was unanimously recommended that the Petitioner’s case be approved for an ex-gratia payment of Rs 1 crore to the deceased’s family members.
