SC asks Centre to consider Covid suicide aid for families

A two-judge bench told solicitor-general Tushar Mehta that an exclusionary clause introduced in the health ministry’s recent guidelines needed a rethink

Supreme Court of India: File picture

Legal Correspondent   |   TT  |  New Delhi   |  14.09.21: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to consider granting compensation to the families of even those who had died by suicide after contracting Covid, saying an exclusionary clause introduced in the health ministry’s recent guidelines needed a rethink.

A two-judge bench told solicitor-general Tushar Mehta and additional solicitor-general Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, that while some of the guidelines were fair enough, others needed to be modified to give succour to certain segments of Covid-affected people.

“You have specifically stated that irrespective of the fact that the person who had Covid has committed suicide, (they) will not be entitled to compensation. This needs to be revisited,” Justice M.R. Shah, who headed the bench, told Mehta.

The bench, which included Justice A.S. Bopanna, was hearing two petitions moved by advocates Reepak Kansal and Gaurav Bansal that have sought compensation for the families of all those who have died after contracting Covid. India’s official Covid death toll is 4.4 lakh.