CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has dismissed a PIL seeking probe into alleged negligence in the treatment of patients at Covid-19 hospitals in Sambalpur district as the petitioner failed to file an affidavit by any of the victims.
On July 5, the court had allowed the petitioner time till July 22 to file affidavits by any of those who have expired or in other cases, the victims themselves, who wish to pursue further remedies. But on Thursday, the petitioner stated that despite his best efforts, the victims are not prepared to come forward to file affidavits.
Taking note of it, the two-judge bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice BP Routray said, “In that view of the matter, the court is not inclined to entertain this PIL. It will always be open to the victims to seek appropriate remedies that may be available to them in accordance with law. The petition is dismissed”.
The Court had in its order on July 5 made clear that unless the family members of the expired victims or in other cases, the victims themselves wish to pursue the matter and state so unequivocally on affidavit, the court may not be in a position to issue directions ordering an inquiry into the instances cited in the petition. Sambalpur-based lawyer Mohammed Mustaq Ansari had filed the petition enclosing certain news clippings in support of his plea for an inquiry into specific instances where persons with Covid-19 had died or suffered on account of the negligence of the hospital staff.
The petition had cited the instance of four cases. While three of them had died in three different hospitals, another was thrown out of a medical.