MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently ordered the state government to provide government job, on compassionate grounds, to the widow of a frontline worker, who died of heart attack during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
Justice L Victoria Gowri passed the order suo motu, on a petition filed by the woman, M Sharmila Banu, against an order passed by the health department in April 2021 demanding her to pay the first installment of Rs 12.5 lakh towards the house building advance (HBA) obtained by her husband, M Nainar Mohammed, a few days before his unexpected death on November 14, 2020.
The judge noted that the deceased, who was working as a Grade-I health inspector in Dindigul district, was under great stress due to his continuous service during the pandemic, as a result of which he suffered a cardiac arrest and died.
"I am not hesitant to hold that it is the bounden duty of this court to enforce the right of livelihood guaranteed to the petitioner under Article 21 of the Constitution of India with the mother's conscience in the service of Motherland," the judge observed. The court also has the responsibility to secure the livelihood of the petitioner and her mother-in-law as a tribute towards her husband's service, she added.
Noting that even the deceased's pension amount was withheld by the government and the petitioner's application seeking compassionate appointment was also not considered, the judge said she was shocked by the callousness with which the government dealt with the petitioner. The authorities ought to have dealt with this case with much compassion, kindness and social responsibility, she opined.
She directed the Directorate of General Health and Preventive Medicine to give employment to the petitioner based on her educational qualification, adding that the loan amount could be deducted from her salary each month in installments. She also instructed the government to waive the interest in view of the deceased's service as a frontline worker.