The Delhi High Court on Wednesday reserved its judgement on a petition seeking initiation of criminal proceedings against certain city government officials for the death of eight inmates in a home for beggars in New Delhi due to drinking of contaminated water.
A division bench comprising justice Devinder Gupta and justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul reserved its order after hearing arguments by the counsel for the petitioner and the Delhi government placing before it their respective position.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL), seeking probe into the death of the inmates, fixing responsibility of officials concerned and compensation to the kin of the victims, had alleged that eight inmates had died due to cholera when over 200 of them had fallen seriously ill at Lampur beggars home in May last year as they were made to drink contaminated water by its officials and wardens.
Blaming officials of the directorate of social welfare department responsible for the inmates' death petitioner's counsel Bhrahm Dutt said that inquiry reports by sub-divisional magistrate and additional district magistrate had said the deaths occurred due to supply of contaminated water there.
He alleged that the authorities had hurriedly carried out the last rites of the victims and got prepared a favourable medical report, which stated that all the deaths were due to cardiac arrests.

Bureau Report