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The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the Municipal Corporations of Delhi to file a fresh report on the number of crematoriums including CNG and electronic while asking the authorities to forget about the COVID situation and work towards improving the facilities.

A bench of the Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla has asked the authorities to look into the situation from a fresh perspective.

The bench was hearing a batch of pleas seeking directions to the Delhi Government and Municipal Corporations to ensure the right to die with dignity for Covid causalities and direct urgent increase in the number of crematorium grounds/burial sites and to make alternate arrangements for converting any park, field, open space, stadium, or any other similar place as cremation site/burial ground.

The bench has further asked to move forward and get away with wood-based cremation of the dead bodies.

The petition filed by Pratyusha Prasanna, one of the petitioners stated that the Government's lack of preparedness and non-empathetic handling of the second wave has created a humanitarian crisis in Delhi.

It was further submitted that “it is disheartening to submit that the people are seeking leads for crematorium social media platforms including leads for the freezer to keep the dead body of their loved ones until they find a slot in crematorium. This shows that there is a complete failure of the administrative machinery”.

Another petition filed by Sunil Kumar Aledia has sought the installation of electric or CNG crematoriums in different parts of Delhi in view of the large number of people dying due to Covid 19.

Cause Title: Pratyush Prasanna vs State of NCT Delhi and Ors.