Court orders probe into Ministers negligence

Patna : A Bihar court on Monday ordered an investigation into charges of negligence against Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey that left nearly 150 children dead due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Muzaffarpur district over the past fortnight.

Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Suryakant Tiwari ordered the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate to investigate the charges based on a case filed by social activist Tamanna Hashmi.

Hashmi alleged that the Ministers did nothing to sensitise people in Bihar about AES though the disease had been killing children in the state for years.

Filing the case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), she also accused the Ministers of having failed to fulfil their duties to control the outbreak of AES on time.

The court has fixed the next hearing in the case on June 28.

Prevailing heat and humidity conditions coupled with malnutrition has "contributed substantially" to the deaths of hundreds of children due to acute encephalitis syndrome in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, an IMA team has said.

The Supreme Court said the deaths of more than 150 children in Muzaffarpur due to the outbreak of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) is a matter of "grave concern" and directed the Centre and the Bihar government to file their response on medical care facilities there within a week.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and B R Gavai asked the Bihar government to file an affidavit on the adequacy of medical facilities, nutrition and sanitation and the hygiene conditions in the state.

"This public interest litigation relates to outbreak of acute encephalitis syndrome virus that has caused deaths of about 150 children in different districts in the state of Bihar.

The writ petition raises issues of grave concern and importance relating to public medical care facilities, nutrition and sanitation or hygiene.

"The respondents will file their response within seven days specifically dealing with the question of public medical care facilities, nutrition and sanitation or hygiene.