R. Dhruvanayaran, former MP, has urged the State government to honour the report submitted by the High Court-appointed committee to enquire into the circumstances leading to the recent death of 24 COVID-19 patients in Chamarajanagar district hospital.
Mr. Dhruvanarayan’s appeal to the government came on the day the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA) committee’s chairperson A.N. Venugopala Gowda and member and K.N. Keshavanarayana, retired judges, submitted their report to the High Court on Tuesday.
Though the State government had announced two separate probes – one by IAS officer and KSRTC managing director Shivayogi Kalasad and a one-man commission of enquiry by judge B.A. Patil (retd) – Mr. Dhruvanarayan said the government should recognise and honour the committee appointed by the High Court.
While the enquiry by Mr. Kalasad, ordered on May 3, was given three days to submit the report, the one–man commission of enquiry by Mr. Patil was given one month’s time.
Expressing lack of confidence in the probes by the government-appointed committees as oxygen shortage had occurred due to the government’s failure, Mr. Dhruvanarayan said the judiciary, in contrast to the legislature and executive, had come to the assistance of people in their hour of need.
When the executive and legislature as well as the Central Ministers were unable to come to the aid of Karnataka to meet oxygen requirements, it was the High Court that ordered 1,200 tonnes of oxygen for Karnataka, much against the Centre’s wishes. The Centre’s appeal against the High Court too was rejected by the Supreme Court, Mr. Dhruvanarayan pointed out.
Hence, Mr. Dhruvanarayan urged the State government to accept the report submitted by the High Court-appointed committee and take action against those found responsible for creating the oxygen shortage and the resultant deaths in Chamarajanagar, he said.
