CHENNAI, APR 15
The Madras High Court on Thursday stayed the operation of an order of a single judge, which directed exhuming the body of a doctor, who succumbed to COVID-19, from a burial ground here and rebury it at a city cemetery.
Dr Simon Hercules, who had been treating COVID-19 patients, had fallen victim to the dreaded virus during April last year.
A division bench headed by Justice M M Sundresh on Thursday granted the injunction while passing interim orders on an appeal from the Greater Chennai Corporation.
Contending that the single judge order was not enforceable in view of the emergence of the COVID-19 second wave, the civic body moved the bench to quash it and to stay its operation.
Justice Abdul Quddhose had given the directive to the Corporation while allowing a petition from Anandi Simon, widow of Dr Hercules, on March 31.
He was allowing the plea seeking quashing of a Corporation order dated April 24, 2020, rejecting her plea to exhume her husband’s body and rebury it at the Kilpauk cemetery.
The judge had then allowed exhuming the body from the Velangadu burial ground and rebury the remains at the Kilpauk cemetery in the city.
