BRD HOSPITAL DEATHS: HC REJECTS BAIL PLEA OF EXPRINCIPAL

ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad high court on Monday rejected the bail plea of Dr Rajiv Kumar Mishra, ex-principal of Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College, Gorakhpur, where several children had died due to discontinuation of oxygen supply to the medical college hospital in August last year.

A division bench, comprising Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice DK Singh, said that order for the release of the petitioner (Mishra) on bail cannot be passed under the present facts and circumstances of the matter. A case had been registered against Mishra on the charges of criminal negligence and also under Prevention of Corruption Act.

Over 30 children had died at the medical college on August 10-11, 2017 allegedly due to disruption in oxygen supply.

Mishra had pleaded that he had been languishing in jail for the last seven months and that other co-accused in the case had been released on bail.

However, opposing the bail application, the state counsel pleaded that the case was a very serious one and it was due to the alleged role of the petitioner that the oxygen supply was stopped.

The counsel added that the petitioner had stopped payment to the company that used to supply oxygen over the issue of kickbacks (commission). As a result, the company stopped oxygen supply to the hospital, which resulted in the tragic deaths of several children . Hence, he does not deserve to be released on bail, the counsel contended.

On Wednesday, the court had granted bail to Dr Kafeel Ahmed, head of the encephalitis ward.