Infant deaths: Supreme Court junks J&K's petition against NHRC relief order
New Delhi, November 11
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed an appeal filed by the Jammu and Kashmir Administration against an order of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to pay a compensation of Rs 3 lakh each to kin of 10 children who died in Udhampur district due to the consumption of spurious cough syrups.
A Bench of Justices MR Shah and MM Sundresh said officers were found to be negligent and it did not find any reason to interfere in the matter.
“Your officers have been found negligent. They ought to have been vigilant. Don’t compel us to say things about the food and industry department. The health of citizens is in their hands. They don’t perform duties at all. They can’t play with the lives of citizens. It is their duty to check and verify things,” the Bench observed.
The top court was hearing a plea filed by the Jammu and Kashmir Administration challenging the March 3, 2021, order of the High Court which had dismissed its plea against the NHRC order.
Ten children died in Ramnagar tehsil of Udhampur in December 2019 and January 2020 due to the consumption of spurious cough syrups. The NHRC found procedural lapses on the part of the drugs department.
The commission held Jammu and Kashmir vicariously liable for the lapses on the part of the department and recommended compensation of Rs 3 lakh each to next of kin of the deceased.
