Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday ordered a CBI inquiry in a case where 23 children suffering from thalassemia contracted HIV allegedly during blood transfusion at Junagadh Civil hospital last year.
The inquiry was ordered by acting Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice J B Pardiwala on a PIL filed by an advocate seeking a CBI investigation into the case.
The court has asked the central agency to file status report in a month and kept the matter for further hearing till that time.
Last year, 23 children, who were suffering from thalassemia, were found to be HIV positive after they had blood transfusion in the Civil Hospital, Junagadh.
The parents alleged that the doctors from the hospital and officials from the Sarvodaya blood bank, attached with the civil hospital, were responsible for the criminal negligence.
Two children of the 23 who were infected with HIV died in the last one year.
As local police refused to register an FIR, the parents approached the High Court. On their plea, the HC had earlier ordered to register an FIR in the case and asked that an IPS officer should conduct an investigation in the case.
Meanwhile, an advocate at the High Court, Girish Das, also filed a PIL for ordering CBI investigation in this case. The court today ordered probe by the central agency on the basis of that PIL.
During the last hearing on the PIL, the High Court had shown displeasure with the way Gujarat police was conducting the investigation in the case.
PTI
