Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday granted two weeks' time to a petitioner to furnish details of government employees who had died due to Covid-19 while deployed for the Damoh Assembly bypoll, the result of which was declared on May 2 this year.
The PIL of social activist Jaya Thakur has claimed that over 100 government employees, including 66 teachers, died while performing poll duty starting from election training to the declaration of result.
The PIL sought that the state government and the Election Commission of India pay the kin of the deceased compensation of Rs 1 crore each as well as give a job to a legal heir.
During the hearing on Friday, Deputy Advocate General Swapnil Ganguly had pleaded that the petition contained a vague statement without details that almost 100 government employees had died due to Covid-19 while on election duty.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq and Justice VK Shukla allowed the petitioner to furnish details of deceased government employees during bypoll duty within two weeks, the petitioner's counsel Varun Thakur said.
Only Rs 50K given to din
Petitioner advocate Varun Thakur, talking to Free Press, said, ìAround 150 government staffs died during by-poll but government did not accept it. Election Commission of India (ECI) on July 20, 2020 made a provision of Rs 30 lakh as compensation for such deaths but the kin have not yet received the amount, while the state education department had given Rs 50,000 to families of deceased teachers to conduct the last rites. Other state like Delhi has given Rs 1 crore to such families.î
No facts in petition: Deputy AG
Deputy Advocate General Swapnil Ganguly said, "It is general practice of PIL petitioners to make such allegation in petition. There are no facts in this petition. We demanded to exhibit some facts. So HC has given PIL petitioner two weeks time to file facts and details. Let them put up facts before High Court."
