HC bars coercive action against doc

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has granted protection against coercive police action to a suspended doctor in the alleged expired saline case in which a woman and a newborn died early this month.

The bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh was moved by the doctor recently, accusing CID of “doing excesses” within the hospital in the name of its parallel probe in the matter.

The court directed the CID not to adopt any coercive action, including arrest, in the matter against the doctor concerned. However, at the same time, the court directed the doctor to extend full cooperation to the authorities concerned in the probe process. Earlier this month five women had fallen sick at the hospital allegedly after being administered the expired Ringer’s Lactate. When the state was on the boil over allegations of administration of the expired Ringer’s Lactate supplied by the blacklisted entity, the Chief Minister at a press conference said the negligence of the attending doctors was the reason behind the mishaps and also announced the suspension of the 12 doctors.

Chief Minister had said that the CID will continue its investigation into the case observing that criminal proceedings should be initiated against those accused who are found to be negligent.