Court rejects plea to sue Yunus, 3 others over measles-related child death
Dhaka court dismisses negligence petition over measles death allegations.
A Dhaka court has dismissed a petition seeking to file a case against former chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, former health adviser Nurjahan Begum and two others over allegations of negligence linked to a measles outbreak and the death of a child.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam passed the order today (12 July).
Ashikur Rahman, bench assistant to the court, confirmed the matter. He said the court dismissed the petition under Section 203 of the Code of Criminal Procedure after finding no grounds to accept the case.
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On 5 July, Sirajul Islam filed the petition before the same court. The court recorded his statement and kept the order pending before fixing 12 July for its decision.
The two other individuals named in the petition are former Directorate General of Health Services director general Dr Md Abu Jafar and former chief adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam.
According to the petition, Sirajul's nine-month-old daughter, Sauda Muskan, was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital after developing a fever.
He alleged that her condition deteriorated because of a shortage of hospital beds and oxygen, negligence by doctors and nurses, and inadequate treatment.
The petition also claimed that the child could not receive a measles vaccine at the appropriate time because it was unavailable and later died after contracting the disease.
It alleged that the then interim government led by Yunus, the then health adviser and the officials concerned failed to fulfil their responsibilities, including procuring and supplying measles vaccines and properly implementing the national vaccination programme.
The petitioner further claimed that this negligence led to the deaths of hundreds of children from measles across the country, while thousands more required treatment.
The petition also alleged that the accused violated the state's constitutional responsibility to protect public health and life, abused their authority, and failed to discharge their legal duties.
