Khushi Doshi
Published on: April 18, 2022 at 21:21 IST
The Delhi High Court requested a Status Report from the City’s Municipal Authorities outlining the efforts they are taking to increase the Usage of Electricity and CNG for cremations in place of wood.
A Bench consisting of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla further instructed the Local Bodies to indicate the Specifics and Particulars of the Cremation grounds that come within their respective Jurisdictions.
The Bench was dealing with a slew of Applications submitted in the aftermath of the COVID-19 spike, requesting Orders for the respectful burial or cremation of Deceased remains.
The Court ordered that the most recent Status Report include the number of Electric and CNG-powered Crematoriums, as well as whether or not they are all operational.
The Bench Ordered the Status Report to be produced within four weeks and scheduled the subject for further hearing on July 12th.
The Petition was submitted on May 1, last year, during the peak of the second wave of Covid-19. On May 4, 2021, Notices of the Plea were issued.
Prasanna reported that during the second wave, Delhi had become a “graveyard,” and that due to a scarcity of burial/cremation grounds, people were being denied the opportunity to perform final rites and rituals for their loved ones.
He emphasized that Crematoriums in various parts of Delhi were at capacity, and he asked for guidance on how to increase the number of Mortuaries and Crematoriums around the city. He also looked into other solutions, such as transforming parks, fields, and stadiums into Cremation Sites.
Another Petition, filed by Jaswinder Singh Jolly via Advocates Naginder Benipal and Harpreet Singh Hora, requested the designation of new Cremation Grounds. The instances were then labelled as such.
Also Read: Bombay HC: Corporate donations must be sought by State Govt for crematoriums
