Date:12/12/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/12/stories/2007121250100100.htm

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“Improve medical facilities”

Staff Reporter

MADURAI: The Madras High Court on Monday directed the State Health and Family Welfare Secretary to constitute a high-level committee, headed by a retired High Court Judge chosen by the Chief Justice, to study and recommend steps to improve medical care facilities in all courts across the State.

Passing interim orders on a public interest litigation petition taken up suo motu by the Madurai Bench, Justices F.M. Ibrahim Kalifulla and S. Palanivelu ordered that the committee should be constituted within four weeks and its recommendations shall be submitted before the court preferably within three months.

The committee shall comprise the Health Secretary, the Advocate General or any one of the Additional Advocate Generals, the Director of Medical and Rural Health Services, the Tamil Nadu Bar Council Chairman, a representative each from the bar association in the principal seat of the High Court in Chennai as well as the Madurai Bench and a Registrar of the court.

The PIL was taken up pursuant to the death of a lawyer D. Navaneetha Krishnan (31) who suffered heart attack in the Madurai Bench on November 27.

His lawyer friends alleged that the court ambulance could not be pressed into service on time for want of fuel.

However, the court administration claimed it they had filled fuel from its own funds though a Government Order, sanctioning 175 litres of petrol was not implemented.

On Monday, the Judges recorded their appreciation for the State Government for disbursing Rs.3 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to the mother of the deceased lawyer besides appointing a full-time driver for the ambulance and implementing the G.O. sanctioning petrol.

However, R. Karuppan, counsel appearing on behalf of all bar associations in the Madurai Bench, claimed that at least Rs.10 lakh should be granted as compensation.

To this, the AAG said: “The money disbursed is only an ex-gratia (sanctioned). If they want compensation, then we have to go into the question of negligence and once we go into those questions, there will be allegations and counter allegations.”