Delhi Govt “Glorifying Suicide”? HC Issues Notice

HC has sent a notice to the Delhi govt on a PIL against declaring Gajendra Singh a ‘martyr’ and ‘glorifying suicide’.

The Delhi High Court today sought the city government’s response on a PIL challenging its decision to declare as “martyr” a Rajasthan farmer who had allegedly hanged himself at an AAP rally here.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw asked Delhi government’s standing counsel to take instructions on the PIL filed by a lawyer who also sought directions to restrain the Arvind Kejriwal government from putting up a statue in memory of the farmer Gajendra Singh Kalyanwat.

After the suicide of Gajendra Singh Kalyanwat, the government of NCT of Delhi has decided not only to declare him a ‘martyr’ but also launch a farmers’ compensation scheme after his name apart from promising a government job to one of his kin on compassionate ground. This act of respondent no. 1 (Delhi government) is nothing but an effort to glorify, justify, praise, support and consecrate the act of suicide; attempt thereof itself is an offence under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
– PIL

The government’s response has been sought by July 1.

The High Court bench expressed the need for rules to be laid down in this regard. The Chief Justice of Delhi High Court who heard the matter stated the court’s willingness to lay down such rules if the government fails to do so.