HC pulls up govt for non-compliance of order on mortuaries

The Delhi High Court today pulled up the city government and civic agencies for not informing it whether hospitals under their control are complying with the Centre's advisory on management of mortuaries.
Referring to a status report submitted by Delhi government, a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva said, "We do not see actual compliance of directions given by us. You have done nothing."
The bench directed the city government to ensure that the court's directions are complied with in letter and spirit and listed the matter for further hearing on March 11.
It also pulled up the government for not submitting a proposal for providing compensation to kin of a murder accused who died, allegedly due to tuberculosis, while in judicial custody and then one eye of the deceased went missing while the body was kept in the mortuary of a government hospital where he was admitted for treatment.

The court also permitted the amicus curiae, advocate Saqib, to visit jails in the capital "to inspect if a system was in place to address the letters received from representatives or family members of the prisoners".
The amicus was also permitted to interact with prisoners to ascertain the kind of medical facilities they are being provided in the jails.
"He (amicus) will also visit two state government hospitals having mortuary facilities at random to see how they are functioning," the court said.
The bench was hearing a PIL initiated by it after murder accused, Raj Kumar, died while in custody and an eye went missing while the body was kept in the mortuary.