The Supreme Court will take over the case on November 3.
New Delhi:
The Supreme Court today expressed its discontent at the Gujarat government’s response to the tragedy of last week’s COVID-19 Rajkot hospital fire in which six people died.
The court said the state was suppressing the facts and ordered the government to submit a new affidavit with the correct facts.
The Supreme Court had previously requested a report from the state government on the incident of Friday’s fire at Rajkot’s Uday Shivanand Hospital in which six people were killed. According to police, the fire started in the ICU and the investigation revealed negligence on the part of hospital authorities, PTI reported.
“According to you (Gujarat) everything is fine, but your position is contrary to the report of your own chief electrical engineer on wiring,” the court said today.
Three officials from the company, Gokul Healthcare, which runs the hospital, were arrested Monday night. This includes the president, Dr. Prakash Modha, his son and CEO, Dr. Vishal Modha, and the director, Dr. Tejas Karamta, according to PTI.
The Supreme Court today asked Attorney General Tushar Mehta to ensure that all the facts are disclosed in the new affidavit the state has been asked to file.
The court will take the case on Thursday, November 3.
Uday Shivanand COVID-19 Hospital received the go-ahead to operate on September 15, according to PTI. It began operating out of three rented floors in a hospital run by the Shivanand Mission Trust.
The fire investigation revealed several rules that were allegedly not followed, according to police. The hospital did not follow fire prevention protocols, while security measures were also lacking, hampering the rescue operation and resulting in the deaths of five patients, Rajkot police officials said.
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