Pinnacle Court directs states to give compensation within 10 days to families of covid times

The Top Court today instructed all states governments and Union Territories to appoint a dedicated nodal officer to coordinate with the member secretary of the state legal service authority (SLSA) to facilitate payment of compensation to family members of COVID-19 victims.

A bench comprising Justices M R Shah and B V Nagarathna also gave guidelines the state governments to give full particulars like name, address and death certificate to the concerned SLSA, as also complete details with respect to orphans, within one week from today failing which the matter shall be viewed very seriously.

"Despite our earlier order directing all the state governments to give full particulars of the deaths due to Covid-19 registered with their portal and the number of persons to whom the ex gratia payment is made, it appears that most of the states have given only statistics and no full particulars are given.

Apex court said that the endeavour of legal services authority would be to reach those sufferers/victims who have yet not approached for whatever reasons.

The Bench said"The legal services authority will reach them and see that they make an application and they act as a facilitator as a bridge. Similarly the particulars with respect to orphans are not given. We direct all the state governments to give full particulars including their name, address, death certificate etc. to the concerned state legal service authority including full particulars with respect to orphans within one week from today failing which the matter shall be viewed very seriously".

The top court reiterated that applications seeking compensation should not be rejected on technical grounds and if any technical glitch is found, the states concerned should give them opportunity to cure defects as the ultimate goal of the welfare state is to provide some solace and compensation to victims.

The top court was hearing a batch of pleas filed by Bansal and intervenors, represented by advocate Sumeer Sodhi, seeking ex-gratia assistance to family members of COVID-19 victims.