Supreme Court Directs Uttarakhand to Compensate Doctor's Family with Rs 1 Crore
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Synopsis
The Supreme Court has instructed the Uttarakhand government to pay Rs 1 crore to the family of a doctor killed in 2016 while on duty. The court highlighted that the family has only received Rs 1 lakh despite a previous approval for a higher compensation.
Key Takeaways
- Uttarakhand government ordered to pay Rs 1 crore.
- Family of deceased doctor received minimal compensation.
- Supreme Court emphasized the need for compliance.
- Litigation ongoing for over nine years.
- Next hearing set for April 22.
New Delhi, March 25 (NationPress) The Supreme Court has mandated that the Uttarakhand government compensate the family of a doctor who was tragically shot while on duty in 2016 with a sum of Rs 1 crore.
A panel comprising Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Aravind Kumar observed that despite the then Chief Minister's approval for a compensation of Rs 50 lakh, only Rs 1 lakh had been disbursed to the bereaved family.
“We are initially inclined to believe that even after the Chief Secretary's endorsement of the Rs 50 lakh compensation proposal, it has not been executed, and the family has been embroiled in litigation for over nine years. Considering the seriousness of the incident, the approved amount should be disbursed along with interest. Therefore, we determine the total amount to be Rs 1 crore,” stated Justice Maheshwari's Bench.
The Supreme Court's ruling indicated that although the government had proposed a minimum of Rs 50 lakh as ex-gratia assistance to the family, only a nominal amount of Rs 1 lakh was paid, citing regulatory constraints on disbursing larger sums.
The court acknowledged the state government's claim that the deceased's family had received leave encashment, GPF, family pension, gratuity, and GIS, in addition to the appointment of the deceased’s son as a Junior Assistant in the Health Department on compassionate grounds.
In September 2018, the Uttarakhand High Court had ordered the state to pay Rs 1.90 crore to the family of the deceased doctor, who was serving as a paediatrician at CHC, Jaspur when he was killed.
Unhappy with this ruling, the Uttarakhand government appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the compensation calculation from the previous decision was unwarranted.
Instructing the state government to adhere to its own sanction along with the accrued interest, the apex court requested the submission of a compliance affidavit to the registry and scheduled the next hearing for April 22.
“We calculate the total amount to be Rs 1 crore. Out of this, Rs 11 lakh has already been paid, so the remaining Rs 89 lakh must be paid within six weeks, and compliance must be reported to the Registry via affidavit by the next court date,” the court directed the state government.
