[COVID-19] Delhi High Court seeks government response in plea seeking conversion of open spaces into cremation/burial grounds

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice in a plea seeking conversion of parks, fields and other open spaces into cremation sites or burial grounds in a view of the raging COVID-19 pandemic (Pratyush Prasanna v. State)..The petitioner has also prayed that enough space be made available in mortuaries for proper preservation of dead bodies till they are cremated or buried. .A Division Bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh has sought a response from the Delhi government in the plea filed by Advocate Pratyush Prasanna. .As per the petitioner, the State was duty-bound to uphold the citizen's right to die with dignity. When the entire city has turned into a graveyard, the people of Delhi are not even getting to perform the last rites and rituals with dignity of their loved ones, the petitioner has asserted..The petition reads, "The devastation caused by the lack of preparedness is such that there are massive backlogs of dead bodies and the largest crematoriums are also turning away bodies or are charging higher amounts for cremation. It is submitted that due to the backlogs, the bodies are even asked to be kept in AC room for a night as there are no space in the hospital mortuary for the same to be kept or for that matter any other mortuary in the state. This is the kind of trauma a person is going through who has lost a loved one, untimely to a pandemic.".It has been alleged that there is a complete failure of the administrative machinery under the Delhi government. .The petitioner has prayed that the authorities be directed to put in place a helpline/dedicated portal containing all information regarding cremation sites, burial sites etc. A direction is also sought to ensure that no dead body is turned away from a crematorium on account of "jurisdictional issues"..The plea also seeks a direction to the authorities to ensure that there is proper supply of wood as well as medical supplies like PPE kits etc at the sites. .Advocate Snigdha Singh appeared for the petitioner.