Chandigarh The Punjab & Haryana High Court has issued notices to State of Punjab, SSP Bathinda and SHO, Kotwali, Bathinda in a petition filed by Rekha Rani, seeking registration of FIR against Dr. Maninder Singh, SMO, Civil Hospital, Bathinda, and two former officials of Blood Bank, CH Bathinda, for transfusion of HIV +blood to the petitioner:
HC Bench comprising Justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri, today issued notices for November 30, 2021, to State of Punjab, SSP Bathinda and SHO, Kotwali, Bathinda in a petition filed by Rekha Rani, seeking registration of FIR against Dr. Maninder Singh, SMO, Civil Hospital, Bathinda, and two former officials of Blood Bank, CH Bathinda, for transfusion of HIV +blood to her.
In a petition filed by her, Rekha Rani has stated that when she was lying admitted in Civil Hospital, Bathinda for treatment of anaemia on May 6th, 2020, she was transfused HIV + Blood by Richu Goyal, former Medical Laboratory Technician; She has further Alleged that Dr. Krishna Goyal, Incharge of Blood Bank, came to know about this episode in May, 2020 itself, but she did not inform about it to her superior officers. It was on October 5th, 2020 that a committee of doctors submitted an inquiry report to Dr. Maninder Singh, SMO, Bathinda confirming aforesaid allegations. Dr. Maninder Singh, SMO, however, did not take any steps for locating the petitioner, and on being contacted at a very late stage in August, 2021, she visited Civil Hospital, Bathinda, and she tested as HIV +ve. Her husband, Dhan Raj, and 7 year old daughter, Aradhika also tested HIV + ve, having been infected from the petitioner. All the three were granted admission for regular treatment in ART Centre of Civil Hospital, Bathinda on August 28th, 2021. In this manner, the life of all the three victims of gross negligence, on the part of Dr. Maninder Singh, SMO, Ms. Richu Goyal, and Dr. Krishna Goyal, has been ruined, but the Bathinda Police registered an FIR on October 10th, only against one Baldv Singh Romana, Senior Medical Technician, who had handed over blood bags containing HIV + Blood to Ms. Richu Goyal, and Dr. Krishna Goyal. The petitioner further contended that gross negligence on the part of SMO, in not contacting her for about 10 months, after coming to know of transfusion of HIV+ ve blood into her body, resulted in delayed treatment, and during intervening period, her husband, Dhan Raj, and daughter, Aradhika,, also got infected with HIV +Ve blood.
Thus, FIR under section 269 of Indian Penal Code, and other relevant provisions of the IPC is required to be registered against SMO also, along with Ms. Richu Goyal, and Dr. Krishna Goyal.