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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea for directions to the Centre and state governments on the formulation of a national policy to provide uniform ex gratia compensation to families of coronavirus victims.
A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan noted that each state had a different policy on such compensation as per its financial condition.
Advocate Deepak Prakash, representing petitioner Hashik Thayikandy, argued that compensation was necessary for front-line corona warriors like doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff etc.
He contended that thousands of persons had died in India due to the virus, alleging that the kin of victims were "not getting equal compensation".
He pointed out that while the Delhi government gave Rs 1 crore to frontline staff fighting coronavirus, others offered merely Rs 1 lakh.
The petitioner pointed out that a majority of the country's population falls in financially weak category, wherein the entire family was dependent on only one earning member.
"The state of the world is akin to an emergency, being war-like in nature; therefore, it is imperative to provide ex gratia compensation as a mode of relief measure and financial assistance to those families who have lost their loved ones to COVID-19," the petitioner pleaded.
The bench said that it was not inclined to hear the plea and would dismiss it. Then, the counsel sought to withdraw the plea.