Embarrassment in store for state? Madras HC orders CBI probe
11.03.2011 | 12:50
Chennai
A. Shankar
The High Court of Madras Thursday ordered CBI investigation into a tragic incident of blinding of 66 people in a rural district of Tamil Nadu.
Expressing shock over the incident the High Court drew comparison to the infamous Bhagalpaur blindings case.
The sad episode took place in Villupuram District 200 kms from Chennai. Following the wide publicity given by the District Programme Officer, District Blindness Control Society, Perambalur that free eye camp is proposed to be conducted and cataract surgery would be done, poor villagers thronged the medical camp and 66 villagers were selected for undergoing surgery.
On the fateful day of 29th July 2008, the surgery was performed on the 66 villagers. Immediately after surgery the villagers complained of illness. But the Joseph Eye Hospital, Trichy which conducted the eye camp, asked the villagers to tolerate the pain and were informed that the pain would subside.
When a couple of affected villagers approached another private hospital, they were informed that their eyes were severely damaged and they have suffered vision less. After the media reported about the incident, the government awarded a compensation of Rs.1 lakh and the hospital was prohibited from conducting further eye camps. However the villagers bid to lodge a police complaint failed.
It was then that a NGO, Human Rights Protection Centre, approached the High Court of Madras through a PIL seeking to pay adequate compensation to the victims and seeking a direction for registration of a case against Joseph Eye Hospital.
When the matter came up for hearing in March 2010 before Justices Ellipe Dharma Rao and KK Sasidharan, an interim direction was given to conduct fresh surgery and to streamline the conduct of medical camps.
Later the matter was listed before the First Bench which asked for detailed information. The information revealed that the central government had allocated huge funds to the state for conducting free cataract surgeries, treatment of eye diseases, supply of spectacles to children and other such activities.
The Division Bench in its order expressed shock as to how a sizeable sum Rs.1.15 crores was allotted to the Joseph Eye Hospital for conducting free eye camp. The Bench in its order asserted that 'Prima facie, therefore, it appears that the entire funds allotted by the government are siphoned off by many persons in the name of free eye camp for cataract surgery.' The Bench also pointed out that the experts' team had opined that the Joseph Hospital was not equipped with all facilities for conducting cataract surgery and wondered how and under what circumstances the Collector, Perambalur District, who happens to be the Chairman of the District Blindness Control Society, allowed the conduct of eye camp by Joseph hospital.
Though the prayer of the petitioner was for registration of a criminal case against those who were responsible for this fiasco, the Division Bench went a step ahead. The Division Bench ordered that 'the materials placed before us are sufficient to direct such enquiry to be conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation'. The CBI was directed by the Court to conduct a thorough enquiry and submit a detailed report and also directed to fix the responsibility on the doctors and other officers who are responsibility and to initiate criminal prosecution against the persons so responsible.
The Bench directed the CBI to submit its report within a period of six weeks and ordered that the matter be listed on April 26.
Counsel on record, S. Sathiachandran when contacted by Law et al. News, expressed satisfaction with the proceedings and expressed hope that justice would be done to the poor villagers.
A tragic incident of blinding of 66 people in a rural district of Tamil Nadu
Re: A tragic incident of blinding of 66 people in a rural district of Tamil Nadu
Every time we see anything bad happening in the country, we have one of these country has gone to dogs statements.
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