Archive · 14 Jan 2026
HC Rejects RTPCR Report as Sole COVID-19 Compensation Criterion
A man named Machindra Gaikwad lost his wife, who was a nurse, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He applied for compensation under a government scheme for families of health workers who died during the pandemic.
The local authorities rejected his claim because he didn't have an RTPCR report showing his wife was COVID-19 positive.
However, the Bombay High Court said that other medical reports clearly showed she had COVID-19.
The court ordered the authorities to process his claim for compensation of Rs 50 lakh.
The court said that an RTPCR report alone shouldn't be the only reason to reject a compensation claim if other medical evidence shows the person had COVID-19.
The Bombay High Court directed the Ahilyanagar district collector to process a compensation claim under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojna for the family of a nurse who died during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The initial rejection was based on the absence of an RTPCR report showing the deceased was COVID-19 positive.
The court ruled that other medical reports, including CT scans and oxygen levels, clearly indicated a COVID-19 infection.
The deceased nurse was working at a quarantine center and had direct contact with COVID-19 patients.
The court emphasized that an RTPCR report showing a negative result cannot be the sole criterion to reject a compensation claim when other medical evidence indicates a COVID-19 infection.
- Who
- Machindra Gaikwad, whose wife was a nurse who died during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- What
- The Bombay High Court directed the Ahilyanagar district collector to process Gaikwad's claim for compensation under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojna.
- When
- The order was passed on January 9, and the death occurred in May 2021.
- Where
- The incident took place in Ahilyanagar, and the court order was from the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court.
- Why
- The court ruled that an RTPCR report showing a COVID-19 negative result cannot be the sole criterion to reject compensation when other medical evidence indicates a COVID-19 infection.
- Claimant
- Machindra Gaikwad
- Deceased
- Machindra Gaikwad's wife (nurse)
- Compensation Amount
- Rs 50 lakh
- Scheme
- Prime Minister’s Garib Kalyan Yojna
- Court
- Bombay High Court, Aurangabad Bench
- Date of Order
- January 9
- Date of Death
- May 2021
- Cause of Death
- Cardio-respiratory failure due to pneumonitis and coronavirus infection
