United Hospital fire: SC asks to pay initially 25lakh to each victim’s family
A bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, asked the hospital authorities on Thursday to pay the money within a month
The Supreme Court ordered the United Hospital authorities to initially compensate Tk25 lakh to each family of four out of five victims who were killed in the fire accident at the hospital's isolation unit last year.
A bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, asked the hospital authorities on Thursday to pay the money within a month.
Earlier, the family of one victim out of five reached an amicable settlement with the hospital authorities that's why the court did not pass any directive regarding the compensation for this family.
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Barrister Aneek R Haque and Advocate Niaz Muhammad Mahboob appeared for the writ petitioners while Barrister Mustafizur Rahman Khan argued for United Hospital.
Barrister Aneek R Haque told reporters that the Appellate Division of Supreme Court ordered the hospital authorities to give Tk25 to each of the four families as initial compensation.
Earlier on 11 January this year, the High Court directed United Hospital authorities to give Tk30 lakh as initial compensation to each family of four out of the five victims who were killed in the fire at its isolation unit last year.
The HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam came up with this directive. At the same time, the HC also issued a rule asking the authorities to explain why they should not be directed to give Tk15 crore to each victim's family as compensation.
Later, the hospital authorities filed a petition with the Appellate Division seeking a stay order on the High Court directive.
Hearing this appeal, the Supreme Court Thursday ordered the hospital authorities to give Tk25 lakh as initial compensation to each of four victims' family.
On 27 May last year, five patients were killed in a fire incident at the isolation unit of the United Hospital in the capital.
Later, two writ petitions were filed with the High Court seeking judicial inquiry over the incident and compensations for victims' families.
The victims of that fire incident are Reazul Alam (45), Khodeza Begum (70), Bernard Anthony Paul (74), Md Monir Hossain (75) and Md Mahboob (50).
