Taking a serious note of instances of residents objecting to conduct of funeral of persons who had died of Coronavirus, Prakasam District Principal Judge P. Venkata Jyothirmayi has said that right to dignified funeral is a fundamental right of every human being.
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COVID-19 deaths in various parts of State as well as Prakasam district exposed the inhumanity and ignorance of the people in preventing the cremation of the bodies of the deceased. Every human being is entitled to a decent farewell to his or her corpse according to his or her religious rites as per Article 21 of the Constitution. The society prides itself on how it treats the dead, she said in a statement here on Friday.
She appealed to the people not to fall a prey to false notions, and allow the funeral of such bodies in a humble and humane way, befitting human dignity. When the worried families were already grief-stricken, such behaviour of the public would further increase their agony. The families of the victims of COVID-19 pandemic could approach the Prakasam District Legal Services Authority for legal assistance and necessary action if any, said the DLSA Chairperson.
She asked the para-legal volunteers to step up public awareness. She urged the public to ensure a dignified funeral to the deceased.
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The acts of the people were a gross violation of fundamental right, she said while making a mention of the rulings of the Supreme Court and Madras and Bombay High Courts. These acts are punishable under IPC Sections 297, 188, 341, 147 and 148. The Supreme Court had held that “right to dignity is not only available to a living man but also to his body after his death”.
DLSA Secretary P.Srinivasa Rao underscored the need to maintain social distancing, use of masks, cleaning hands and premises frequently with sanitiser to ward off COVID-19 pandemic.