Ahmedabad, May 22 – The Gujarat High Court has directed the state government to provide ₹25 lakh compensation to the wife of a fair price shop worker who died while on Covid-19 duty.
Court Recognizes Service of Deceased Frontline Worker
The deceased, Ahmed Yusuf Patel, served as a weighman at the Pandit Deendayal Grahak Bhandar, a government-recognized fair price shop in Aachhod village, Bharuch district. During the pandemic, he was assigned emergency duties to distribute essential commodities. Tragically, he contracted Covid-19 and passed away on August 12, 2020.
His widow, Tahera Ahmed Patel, applied for compensation under a government resolution dated April 24, 2020, which promised ₹25 lakh to families of frontline workers who died due to COVID-19 while on duty. Despite submitting all necessary documents, the reviewing committee rejected her application on January 9, 2023, citing that the District Supply Officer failed to submit the list of eligible employees by the stipulated deadline of April 30, 2020.
What Did the High Court Say?
The Gujarat High Court, led by Justice Aniruddha Mayee, said it was wrong to punish the widow for government delays. The court clearly stated that the rejection was unjust and ordered full payment within six weeks.
“The petitioner cannot be made to suffer for the default on the part of the respondent authorities,” the court observed.
The court further noted that the government resolution aimed to provide financial benefits as a benevolent measure, acknowledging the contributions of employees who died while performing essential services during the pandemic.
In April 2020, the Gujarat government announced a compensation scheme offering ₹25 lakh to the families of frontline workers, including fair price shop employees, who died due to COVID-19 while on duty. This policy aimed to recognize and support those who risked their lives to ensure the public’s access to essential services during the pandemic.
