A compensation promise announced by Arvind Kejriwal during the COVID-19 pandemic, but later denied by his own government, has now been enforced by the Delhi High Court with the financial liability falling on the current BJP administration.
In its 27 March 2026 order in Prem Sheela Kumari v. Govt. of NCT of Delhi & Anr. (W.P. (C) 3310/2024), the Court directed the Government of NCT of Delhi to pay ₹1 crore compensation to the family of Dr. Raja Ram Singh, a government school vice principal who died after contracting COVID-19 while performing official duties.
The compensation was part of a scheme announced by Kejriwal in May 2020 under Cabinet Decision No. 2835, which promised ₹1 crore to families of frontline workers who died while serving during the pandemic. The scheme explicitly included teachers, police personnel, civil defence volunteers, and sanitation workers.
However, the claim in this case had been rejected by a Group of Ministers (GoM) under the then Aam Aadmi Party government, which argued that the deceased was performing “routine duty” and not “COVID duty.”
Rejecting this reasoning, the High Court held that such a distinction was arbitrary and contrary to the intent of the scheme. It observed that the deceased had been deployed at a government-designated Hunger Relief Centre, supervising ration distribution during the pandemic, and had contracted COVID-19 in the course of those duties.
Dr. Raja Ram Singh died on 29 May 2021, after being infected while carrying out these responsibilities under official directions.
The Court further noted that similar denials in other cases including Smt. Ram Dulari v. GNCTD and Narender Kumar v. GNCTD had also been overturned, with the judiciary consistently rejecting the government’s attempt to narrowly interpret eligibility under the scheme.
With the ruling, the obligation to pay compensation now rests with the present Delhi administration, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The judgment has reignited questions over how many such claims were denied under the scheme despite the original public assurances, and how many families may still be awaiting relief through judicial intervention.
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