Families move HC seeking CBI probe

NEW DELHI: The family members of nine the 21 people who died, allegedly of lack of oxygen at the Jaipur Golden hospital on April 23-24, have petitioned the Delhi high court demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a special investigation team.

The plea, filed on Thursday through advocate Utsav Bains, challenged the findings of a Delhi government panel that the patients died of comobidities and not lack of oxygen supply. It also demanded compensation for the families of the victims, and an order to authorities to seize the CCTV footage from the hospital.

The Delhi government on April 28 constituted a committee to ascertain the number of deaths due to shortage of oxygen in the hospitals across the city, following a direction by the high court on April 27.

In its report, the committee said the patients at Jaipur

Golden hospital in Rohini died of comorbidities, and that there was no mention of oxygen shortage in any of the case records.

The committee said that many of the patients had one or multiple co-morbidities such as heart disease, diabetes, hypothyroidism and hypertension.

“All these patients were receiving some form of oxygen therapy and/or ventilator support during the hospital stay,” the report said.

Quoting a report in HT on May 4, the petitioners said that they got to know about the findings of the panel from the news story.

The petition alleged that the report prepared by the committee was “erroneous”, and that the authorities have rendered themselves not only liable to pay compensation to the families of the victims but also for criminal prosecution.

The Delhi government did not comment on the matter. The petition is likely to be listed next week.