The Gujarat High Court has directed the State Government to pay ₹25 lakh as financial assistance to Tahera Ahmed Patel, the widow of a fair price shop employee who died while performing Covid-19 emergency duties. The court held that the rejection of her application was unjustified and based solely on administrative lapses by government officials.
Ahmed Yusuf Patel was employed as a weigh-man at the Pandit Deendayal Grahak Bhandar, a government-recognized fair price shop in Aachhod, Bharuch district. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he was assigned emergency duties to distribute essential goods on behalf of the State Government. Tragically, he contracted Covid-19 pneumonia and died on August 12, 2020.
A Government Resolution dated April 24, 2020, had assured ₹25 lakh to the families of fair price shop employees like weigh-men, data entry operators, and assistants who died while on duty due to Covid-19. Tahera Ahmed Patel applied for this benefit, submitting all required documents through official channels. However, her application was rejected on January 9, 2023.
“The only reason stated for rejection is that the District Supply Officer had defaulted in his duty to send the list of employees engaged in Covid-19 emergency duty before 30.04.2020,” noted Justice Aniruddha P. Mayee.
Despite multiple levels of approval — from the Mamlatdar, District Supply Officer, and even the Director of Food and Civil Supplies — the State Government rejected the claim, citing that the list of eligible workers had been submitted late.
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“In the considered opinion of this Court, the respondent State Government has erred in rejecting the application... despite fulfillment of all the parameters laid down,” the court ruled.
It was established through official certificates that Mr. Patel was on emergency duty before April 30, 2020, and died of Covid-19 while serving. All authorities confirmed his eligibility, and his death was clearly linked to his duties.
Justice Mayee emphasized that an administrative direction — like the deadline for submission of employee lists — cannot override the intent of the resolution, which was to provide relief to the families of deceased frontline workers.
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“The petitioner cannot be made to suffer for the default on the part of the respondent authorities,” the court observed.
“The Government Resolution confers financial benefits as a benevolent measure acknowledging the contributions of such employees.”
Setting aside the rejection, the court ordered the State Government to release the ₹25 lakh compensation to Mrs. Patel within six weeks.
Case title: TAHERA AHMED PATEL W/O LATE AHMED YUSUF PATEL v/s STATE OF GUJARAT & ORS
