Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday ordered the Maharashtra government as well as the BMC to file detailed affidavits explaining the measures they have been undertaking to handle dead bodies of Covid victims. A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Makarand Karnik was dealing with a plea filed by BJP leader Ashish Shelar highlighting the apathy of civic authorities in handling and disposing of dead bodies of Covid victims in city's Sion hospital. The plea claimed that dead bodies were kept near the bed of Covid patients, a video of which had been viral last month.
In its order, the bench noted that it had already passed orders considering various reliefs sought by Shelar in his petition. But, the judges deemed it fit to widen its consideration to hospitals across the state.
"We are of the considered opinion that instead of confining Shelar's concern regarding management of dead bodies at Sion Hospital, which is under the administration and control of the BMC, such concern may be extended to cover all government hospitals as well as hospitals run by various municipal corporations in the state with regard to disposal and management of dead bodies of COVID positive victims," CJ Datta said in his orders.
The bench accordingly ordered the state and the BMC to file their say in the matter and kept it for further hearing on July 3.
