Delhi Neonatal Hospital fire: Court sends two doctors to 14-day judicial custody
New Delhi: Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has suspended Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD), R.N. Das, for his alleged involvement in the irregular and illegal registration of private nursing homes, including the one in Vivek Vihar where six newborns were killed in a fire, officials said.
A metropolitan court here on Thursday sent to 14 days judicial custody the owner and on-duty doctor of the private hospital where a blaze on May 25 killed seven newborns and injured five.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vidhi Gupta Anand sent Dr Naveen Khichi, the hospital’s owner and Dr Aaksh, who was on duty at the time of the fire late last Saturday, to judicial custody.
According to a PTI report, Meanwhile, the doctor has filed a bail plea which will be heard on June 3.
In the order issued on Wednesday, the Vigilance Directorate said, “The Hon’ble Lt. Governor, Delhi, in the exercise of the powers conferred by sub-rule (1) of Rule-10 of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965, hereby, places the said Dr R.N. Das, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Hon’ble Minister (Health), GNCTD, under suspension with immediate effect.” In a letter to Anti Corruption Branch(ACB) the directorate also said that Lt Governor, has directed the agency to undertake an “urgent comprehensive enquiry” into the registration of Nursing Homes under Delhi Nursing Home Registration Act, 1953 and Rules and submit an action taken report by June 5, news agency PTI reported.
A massive fire broke out on Saturday night at Baby Care New Born Child Hospital in east Delhi’s Vivek Vihar that was allegedly operating illegally with an “expired” licence and without any clearance from the fire department.
Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that In a tragic incident, seven newborns died and five got injured after a baby care centre in Delhi’s Vivek Vihar caught fire.
A case has been registered at Vivek Vihar police station under IPC sections 336 (act endangering life and personal safety of others), 304A (causing death by negligence), 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide).
The two were arrested on Sunday and were remanded in police custody on May 27.
