The Delhi High Court on Friday said that the AAP government’s decision to award compensation to the family members of two men who allegedly committed suicide at separate public events, will set a wrong precedent.
The court’s observation came during the hearing of PILs against the government’s decision to accord martyr status to Ram Kishan Grewal, who had allegedly committed suicide during a protest at Jantar Mantar over the ‘One Rank, One Pension’(OROP) issue on November 1 last year.
Another PIL opposed the government’s decision to declare as ‘martyr’ a Rajasthan-based politician-cum-farmer Gajendra Singh Kalyanwat, who allegedly hung himself at AAP’s anti-Land Bill rally at Jantar Mantar on April 22, 2015.
Advising the Delhi government to withdraw decisions to accord ‘martyr’ status to individuals, a Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar said: “Your order will set a wrong precedent for others. It can be cited as an example for others who do the same thing”.
Delhi government’s Additional Standing Counsel Sanjoy Ghose, however, told the court that till date they have not paid any compensation to any of the family members of the deceased.
The court listed the matter for August 8 and directed the Delhi government to file its response within ten days.
