Overview
- A Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court quashed administrative rejections and directed payment of ₹50 lakh to the widow of MVVNL employee Sunder Lal within eight weeks, citing an order dated July 2.
- The court applied the same principle in a separate case and ordered ₹50 lakh for the widow of a Head Constable who contracted COVID‑19 while performing pandemic duties.
- Justices Shekhar B. Saraf and Abdhesh K. Chaudhary said a 'myopic' reading of the April 11, 2020 welfare order is impermissible and held that electricity, water, telephone and police personnel who kept essential services running qualify as on 'COVID duty'.
- The bench relied on recent coordinated High Court precedents and Supreme Court guidance to refuse remands and instead grant direct relief after claims had been delayed for more than five years.
- The rulings reverse earlier state committee refusals despite certifications from the electricity department and the chief medical officer and signal faster resolution of similar pending ex‑gratia claims across Uttar Pradesh.