On Thursday, the Karnataka High Court ordered the state government to respond to the issue of covid-19 patients being buried without a death certificate.

Advocate Shridhar Prabhu told the court that on April 21, 2020, the state government issued specific guidelines for the burial or cremation of covid-19 dead bodies. It was stated that if dead bodies are to be transported interstate or inter-district, they must have a death certificate.

“Now the state government has said that dead bodies can be buried on your own land; only dead bodies that are to be moved outside the state would need a death certificate, so if you bury, you don’t need a death certificate anymore,” the lawyer explained. “Moreover, granite quarries are being permitted for burials.”

“This aspect needs to be investigated,” said a division bench led by Chief Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar. “If someone can bury a dead body without a death certificate, it will have serious implications.”

“As a result, we will hear the parties on the next day,” it continued. And in the event of an accidental death, the body will be buried without a death certificate. Heirs will need a death certificate to receive different benefits. It is required to issue a death certificate and report a death under the Register of Births and Deaths Act.

“The question of providing dignified burial or cremation to those who die as a result of covid-19 has been raised,” the bench said. The advocate general, or AGA, will investigate this matter and answer at a later time.” On May 20, the case will be heard again.