Pvt docs who worked during Covid and died entitled to govt aid: SC

Underlining that “the courage and sacrifice of our doctors remain indelible,” the Supreme Court on Thursday held that even private practitioners who kept their clinics open during the Covid-19 pandemic and later succumbed to the infection must be treated as frontline workers “requisitioned” by the State, and therefore eligible for the ₹50-lakh insurance under the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP).

- Utkarsh Anand

A bench of justices PS Narasimha and R Mahadevan rejected the Union government's narrow interpretation that only those formally “drafted” or “requisitioned” by state or central authorities could claim the benefit. The court said the government's own laws, regulations and executive actions during the early months of the pandemic made it clear that authorities had invoked emergency powers to draw upon all available medical professionals, including those in private practice, to keep essential healthcare functioning during the national