Shahira Naim
Tribune News Service
Lucknow, May 11
In the middle of the crucial Gorakhpur Lok Sabha election, the death of infants due to oxygen shortage has returned to haunt CM Yogi Adityanath as the Supreme Court has asked his government to pay the dues of suspended paediatrician Dr Kafeel Khan.
In a major relief to Dr Kafeel, the division Bench of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Indira Banerjee on Friday ordered the timely conclusion of the enquiry regarding his suspension and directed to clear his dues.
According to Dr Kafeel, his dues have not been cleared in the last 10 months, which he estimates to be close to Rs 10 lakh. He said the apex court order would not benefit him only but all nine suspended staff of the Baba Raghav Das Medical College and Hospital implicated for the shortage of oxygen causing the death of infants.
On March 7, the Allahabad HC had similarly asked the state government to speedily conclude the departmental inquiry against Dr Kafeel within 90 days. The SC has also upheld this order of the Allahabad HC. The court has also asked Dr Kafeel to approach the SC in July if the Yogi government does not follow the order of the Allahabad HC in letter and spirit.
Speaking to The Tribune, Dr Kafeel said his matter has been kept hanging for the past 20 months in a bid to protect the real culprits of the tragedy.
According to him the persons who had held up payment of the suppliers of the liquid oxygen ignoring the 14 letters written to them were then Gorakhpur district magistrate Rajiv Rautela, DGME KK Gupta and both health ministers in the Yogi government, namely Ashutosh Tandon and Siddhartha Nath Singh.
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2VfICI5
via Today’s News Headlines
No comments: