Judgement of the Supreme Court of India in the matter of Reepak Kansal Vs Union of India & Others dated 30/06/2021.

The matter is related to providing ex gratia monetary compensation of Rs. 4 lakhs or notified ex gratia monetary compensation to the families of the deceased who have succumbed to the pandemic of Covid-19, in view of Section 12 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

The Supreme Court directed the National Disaster Management Authority to recommend guidelines for ex gratia assistance on account of loss of life to the family members of the persons who died due to Covid-19, as mandated under Section 12 (iii) of DMA 2005 for the minimum standards of relief to be provided to the persons affected by disaster – Covid-19 Pandemic, over and above the guidelines already recommended for the minimum standards of relief to be provided to persons affected by Covid-19. The aforesaid exercise and appropriate guidelines should be recommended within a period of six weeks.

The appropriate authorities should issue simplified guidelines for issuance of Death Certificates/official document stating the exact cause of death, i.e., “Death due to Covid-19”, to the family members of the deceased who died due to Covid-19, the judgement said.