Despite SC verdict, relief eludes woman who delivered stillborn in jail bathroom

was in May this year that the Supreme Court had ordered that ₹5lakh be paid to a former inmate who had given birth to a stillborn child in a bathroom of the women’s jail due to the alleged negligence of the prison authorities and doctors, but she is yet to get the compensation.

This despite the fact that the apex court had directed the prison authorities to release the amount within eight weeks. In a press conference here, Balwinder Kaur on Tuesday said the jail authorities are making one excuse or other even as the apex court had passed the orders on May 17 after an eightyear legal battle for justice.

Earlier, the district and sessions judge of Ludhiana had given clean chit to the doctors and jail officials. The sessions court had sent a report against Satnam Singh Dhaliwal, president of an NGO, Universal Human Rights Organisation, who was helping the victim pursue the case, to Punjab and Haryana high court. The HC had closed the case and imposed ₹20,000 fine on the petitioner.

Dhaliwal said in 2012 they had filed a petition in the Supreme Court which delivered justice to the woman and also cancelled fine.

Balwinder Kaur had given birth to a stillborn child in the women’s jail on September 10, 2010. When she was brought to the civil hospital for treatment during her pregnancy, the doctors maintained she is not pregnant but had a tumor in her stomach.

Balwinder had maintained that had the jail officials and doctors taken the matter seriously, her child could have been saved.

Dhaliwal said the jail authorities are making a mockery of the court orders by not paying money to the victim. They will file a complaint against the jail authorities, he added.

IN MAY, AFTER 8YEAR LEGAL BATTLE, COURT TOLD JAIL AUTHORITIES TO PAY ₹5 LAKH IN EIGHT WEEKS TO EXINMATE FOR NEGLIGENCE