HC halts action on Ramesh Hosp MD

AP High Court has issued interim orders stopping all further action against Ramesh Hospitals managing director Dr P. Ramesh Babu and its chairman M. S. Rama Mohan Rao while hearing a quash petition filed on Tuesday by the duo in Swarna Palace hotel fire mishap case.

A single judge bench of Justice D. Ramesh issued the interim order in this regard. Petitioners’ counsel D. Srinivas contended before the court that the district medical and health officer had given permission to Ramesh Hospitals to run the Covid Care Centre at Swarna Palace hotel. Thus, DMHO was aware of facilities at the hotel. Thus, it is not fair to hold petitioners responsible for the fire mishap.

Public prosecutor Srinivasa Reddy informed the court that negligence on part of Ramesh Hospitals management was the cause for fire mishap. He said that it was the responsibility of hospital management to check whether the hotel was having all requisite facilities. Any lacunae in its maintenance should have been rectified before entering into an agreement with the management of Swarna Palace hotel.

The prosecutor underlined that though the management of Ramesh Hospitals knew that the hotel did not even have ‘no objection certificate’ from Fire Department, it entered into agreement with the hotel to run the Covid Care Centre.

The public prosecutor informed the court that the state government had served a show-cause notice to DMHO on the issue and the inquiry into the fire mishap is going on.