Chandigarh: The Haryana Right to Service Commission has imposed a penalty of Rs. 20,000/- on Dy Civil Surgeon Rohtak, Dr. KL Malik for delaying a case of release of the death certificate of a deceased person who had expired in 1994 on a flimsy ground that proof of death was not available. The hapless widow of the deceased had applied for the grant of the death certificate of her husband.
Giving information in this regard, Secretary to the Commission, Meenaxee Raj said that a long-pending issue of a harassed widow was finally resolved through the intervention of the Commission. She added that though the record pertaining to deaths was lost and destroyed in 1995, an inquiry into the fact of the death of the deceased was conducted by the Medical Officer, Government Hospital Meham, Dr. Anand Prakash, who recommended the case to the Dy Civil Surgeon, Rohtak for registration of the death.
She further added that even during the hearing before the Chief Commissioner, HRTSC, pursuant to the Suo Moto notice served upon him based on the complaint made by the widow of the deceased, the respondent doctor kept harping upon the absence of proof of death
While interacting with the media persons, Chief Commissioner HRTSC, Sh. TC Gupta, said that this by far was the most painful case witnessed by him where the system has turned so apathetic that a hapless poor widow who has already lost her husband is made to run from pillar to post to be able to get a death certificate. He added that the Commission has also directed the Dy Civil Surgeon Rohtak, Dr. KL Malik to directly pay Rs. 5000/- as compensation to the complainant.