A year after the Arvind Kejriwal government had announced an ex gratia of Rs 1 crore for the family of Constable (Late) Amit Kumar who died due to Covid-19, the family yet to received any money from the Delhi govt. As a result, the wife of Constable Amit Kumar, who was the first policeman in the national capital to fall prey to the coronavirus, has approached Delhi High Court to get the promised compensation.
Pooja, the wife of the constable, filed a writ petition at the High Court seeking the release of ex gratia amount of Rs 1 crore as promised by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in May 2020.
Relying upon the tweet made by the Chief Minister of Delhi, Pooja’s counsel contended that the sacrifice made by the petitioner’s husband had been noticed and an announcement of compensation was made a year ago.
After not receiving the promised amount, an instant petition was filed to seek a writ of mandamus directing the respondents to release the aforesaid ex gratia amount of Rs 1 crore as promised by the state government.
The counsel of the Delhi govt told the court that the compensation payment had been delayed due to administrative reasons. The counsel didn’t dispute the CM’s tweet, and he said that the Delhi government was taking steps to disburse compensation to various people.
A Bench of Justice Amit Bansal has issued a notice to the Delhi Government and listed the matter for further hearing on July 23. The respondents have been ordered to file their counter affidavit within four weeks.
Letter to the CM
Pooja knocked the doors of the High Court after her letter to the Chief Minister demanding her compensation went unnoticed.
Pooja in a letter dated May 25 reminding the CM of his commitment, wrote in Hindi, “My husband was a martyred corona warrior, and succumbed to the pathogen while serving the people of Delhi. I was filled with sorrow and dejection. In that hour of grief, acknowledging the sacrifices made by my husband, you assured me financial help of Rs 01 crore. You announced the same on Twitter and in front of the entire media. That gave me some hope. However, we never received that amount.”
“Some families received help within 10 days then why this discrimination with me? I have a four-year-old son and a four-month-old daughter. I am worried about their future. If a Chief Minister doesn’t fulfil his promises, I might never be able to trust anyone else. Waiting for justice,” added the grief-stricken Pooja, expressing her disappointment in the CM.
AAP Government rejects Police Constable Amit Rana’s file but compensates three others
In January this year, Pooja, Amit Rana’s widow, said that the family was recently informed that Amit’s file had been rejected by the Delhi government because it did not meet their requirements.
On the other hand, the kin of Dr Anas Mujahid, a junior resident doctor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Delhi’s GTB hospital, and a few others have been provided with the financial assistance of Rs one crore from Arvind Kejriwal.
Apart from Pooja, the Delhi government reportedly rejected claims filed by 12 out of 15 families of police personnel in December 2020 who died of coronavirus while on duty.
