No State Govt Can Deny Compensation To Covid-19 Victims: SC

A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice MR Shah on Monday accepted the Centre's scheme to compensate those who died due to Covid-19, saying that no state government shall deny the compensation on the ground that cause of death mentioned on the death certificate is not Covid-19.

The compensation of ₹50,000 that includes both past and future deaths related to the virus shall be paid to the relatives of the deceased. The bench also observed that the amount will be paid in addition to any schemes provided by the state governments, adding that the claims need to be settled within 30 days of submitting documents. The compensation will be paid by the state governments from the disaster relief funds.

The bench which also included Justice AS Bopanna said, "If the death certificate does not cite the cause of death as COVID-19, then aggrieved parties may approach the concerned officials of the district committee. District Disaster Manangement Authority (DDMA) address and contact details need to be published in all media for awareness. Publish in a week from today".

The SC on June 30 had ordered the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to form guidelines for compensation to the families of those who died due to contracting the virus. The centre had then filed an affidavit recommending a compensation of ₹50,000 for every person who succumbed due to Covid-19.

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