The Supreme Court Wednesday refused to grant interim bail to a former principal of a medical college and hospital in Uttar Pradesh where scores of children had died last year allegedly due to shortage of oxygen supply.

Dr Rajeev Kumar Mishra of Gorakhpur’s BRD medical college and hospital told the top court that he has been in jail for more than ten months and the children had died due to Japanese Encephalitis disease and not for shortage of oxygen.

A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and M M Shantanagoudar issued notice to Uttar Pradesh government on the plea of Mishra and listed the matter for June 6.

More than 60 children, mostly infants, had died at the government-run Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur within a week in August 2017. There were allegations that the deaths occurred due to disruption in oxygen supply over unpaid bills to the vendor.

At the outset, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Mishra, said he was arrested on August 29, 2017 and has remained in jail for over ten months.

“Chargesheet has been filed in the case. The co-accused in the case including one doctor Kafeel Khan, who was the head of the Encephalitis ward, and the Oxygen gas supplier Manish Bhandari have already got bail. I should be granted at least interim bail till the petition is disposed of,” Rohatgi said.

When the bench asked him what was in the chargesheet filed against his client, the senior lawyer said it has been alleged that Mishra had not cleared the bills for supply of oxygen, due to which the gas supply to the hospital was cut.

To this, the bench said, “then what do you expect, that you will not clear the bills and the vendor will keep supplying the gas”.

Rohatgi said “oxygen gas was not the issue, as the children had died due to a disease called Japanese encephalitis”.

He said at least interim bail should be granted till the petition is disposed of as over ten months have gone by.

The bench, however, refused the plea and sought response from the state government.

Mishra had approached the apex court challenging the order of Allahabad High Court dated April 30, by which it had denied bail to him. He has been booked for criminal negligence and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The state government had told the High Court that due to the alleged role of Misra, the oxygen supply got halted in the hospital as he had stopped payments to the supplier to allegedly force the company to pay him kickbacks.

On April 9, the top court had granted bail to the proprietor of a firm which supplied oxygen to the hospital saying he had spent seven months in jail for an offence which entailed maximum punishment of three years imprisonment.

SC refuses interim bail to principal of BRD Medical College Gorakhpur

The Supreme Court Wednesday refused to grant interim bail to a former principal of a medical college and hospital in Uttar Pradesh where scores of children had died last year allegedly due to shortage of oxygen supply. Dr Rajeev Kumar Mishra of Gorakhpur’s BRD medical college and hospital told the top court that he has been in jail for more than ten months and the children had died due to Japanese Encephalitis disease and not for shortage of oxygen. A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and M M Shantanagoudar issued notice to Uttar Pradesh government on the plea of Mishra and listed the matter for June 6. More than 60 children, mostly infants, had died at the government-run Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur within a week in August 2017. There were allegations that the deaths occurred due to disruption in oxygen supply over unpaid bills to the vendor. At the outset, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Mishra, said he was arrested on August 29, 2017 and has remained in jail for over ten months. “Chargesheet has been filed in the case. The co-accused in the case including one doctor Kafeel Khan, who was the head of the Encephalitis ward, and the Oxygen gas supplier Manish Bhandari have already got bail. I should be granted at least interim bail till the petition is disposed of,” Rohatgi said. When the bench asked him what was in the chargesheet filed against his client, the senior lawyer said it has been alleged that Mishra had not cleared the bills for supply of oxygen, due to which the gas supply to the hospital was cut. To this, the bench said, “then what do you expect, that you will not clear the bills and the vendor will keep supplying the gas”. Rohatgi said “oxygen gas was not the issue, as the children had died due to a disease called Japanese encephalitis”. He said at least interim bail should be granted till the petition is disposed of as over ten months have gone by. The bench, however, refused the plea and sought response from the state government. Mishra had approached the apex court challenging the order of Allahabad High Court dated April 30, by which it had denied bail to him. He has been booked for criminal negligence and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The state government had told the High Court that due to the alleged role of Misra, the oxygen supply got halted in the hospital as he had stopped payments to the supplier to allegedly force the company to pay him kickbacks. On April 9, the top court had granted bail to the proprietor of a firm which supplied oxygen to the hospital saying he had spent seven months in jail for an offence which entailed maximum punishment of three years imprisonment.

Supreme Court refuses interim bail to principal of BRD Medical College Gorakhpur

Kerala Chief Minister Pinari Vijayan has accepted Dr Kafeel Khan's offer of help.&nbsp;

"I request Kerala chief minister Mr Pinarayi Vijayan to allow me to serve at Calicut Medical college to save innocent lives," Khan said in a Facebook post.&nbsp;

Vijayan wrote back: "There are several doctors who serve in the medical field without any concern to their life and health. I am seeing Khan as one among them."&nbsp;

The Kerala chief minister asked Dr Khan, and other health workers who wished to help, to get in touch with the Kozhikode Medical College Superintendent.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/dr-kafeel-khan-request-to-rejoin-hospital-if-cm-yogi-renounces-suspension-133531">If CM Yogi revokes my suspension, I will go back to </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/dr-kafeel-khan-request-to-rejoin-hospital-if-cm-yogi-renounces-suspension-133531">hospital</a>

Khan's Facebook post had read: "After sehri n fajr namaz was trying to sleep but couldn't. Disturbed with increase no of mortality due to Nipah Virus (NiV )infection n rumors spreading on social media platforms."&nbsp;

"I request Kerala chief minister Mr Pinarayi Vijayan to allow me to serve at Calicut Medical college to save innocent lives. Sister Lini is a inspiration and I am more than willing to sacrifice my life for the noble cause," he added.

As many as 11 people have died in Kerala from confirmed and suspected cases of the Nipah virus. That includes the nurse (<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/i-am-almost-on-the-way-cant-meet-you-kerala-nurse-who-died-treating-nipah-patients-writes-to-husband-138928">Sister Lini</a>) who was looking after patients suspected to have contracted the virus.&nbsp;

Dr Khan was a paediatrician at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur where over 60 children died in one week in August last year.&nbsp;

News reports at the time said the hospital had run out of oxygen cylinders. And that the agency supplying the oxygen cylinders had stopped doing so because the government-run hospital had not paid its bills despite repeated reminders.&nbsp;

The UP government had denied the allegation.&nbsp;

The UP government later recommended the filing of charges against Dr Khan and others, including the hospital's principal.&nbsp;

Khan was arrested in September last year. He was also suspended from duty.&nbsp;

He was given bail in April this year.&nbsp;

He says he has been <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/being-framed-by-administration-for-gorakhpur-tragedy-jailed-doctor-kafeel-khan-131437">framed by the </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/being-framed-by-administration-for-gorakhpur-tragedy-jailed-doctor-kafeel-khan-131437">UP</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/being-framed-by-administration-for-gorakhpur-tragedy-jailed-doctor-kafeel-khan-131437"> government</a>.&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI)

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'I am more than willing to sacrifice my life for the noble cause,' Dr Khan said. 'There are several doctors who serve in the medical field without any concern to their life and health. I am seeing Khan as one among them,' Vijayan wrote back

Kerala Chief Minister Pinari Vijayan has accepted Dr Kafeel Khan's offer of help. "I request Kerala chief minister Mr Pinarayi Vijayan to allow me to serve at Calicut Medical college to save innocent lives," Khan said in a Facebook post. Vijayan wrote back: "There are several doctors who serve in the medical field without any concern to their life and health. I am seeing Khan as one among them." The Kerala chief minister asked Dr Khan, and other health workers who wished to help, to get in touch with the Kozhikode Medical College Superintendent. Also read: If CM Yogi revokes my suspension, I will go back to hospital Khan's Facebook post had read: "After sehri n fajr namaz was trying to sleep but couldn't. Disturbed with increase no of mortality due to Nipah Virus (NiV )infection n rumors spreading on social media platforms." "I request Kerala chief minister Mr Pinarayi Vijayan to allow me to serve at Calicut Medical college to save innocent lives. Sister Lini is a inspiration and I am more than willing to sacrifice my life for the noble cause," he added. As many as 11 people have died in Kerala from confirmed and suspected cases of the Nipah virus. That includes the nurse (Sister Lini) who was looking after patients suspected to have contracted the virus. Dr Khan was a paediatrician at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur where over 60 children died in one week in August last year. News reports at the time said the hospital had run out of oxygen cylinders. And that the agency supplying the oxygen cylinders had stopped doing so because the government-run hospital had not paid its bills despite repeated reminders. The UP government had denied the allegation. The UP government later recommended the filing of charges against Dr Khan and others, including the hospital's principal. Khan was arrested in September last year. He was also suspended from duty. He was given bail in April this year. He says he has been framed by the UP government. (With inputs from PTI)

Nipah virus: Dr Kafeel Khan offers to help, Kerala CM Pinari Vijayan accepts

Nineteen children have reportedly died at the Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College in Uttar Pradesh&#39;s Gorakhpur in the last 24 hours. Sixty-nine deaths have occurred at the hospital since October 7,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/36-children-die-in-48-hours-at-gorakhpur-hospital-290-deaths-in-august-report-19649">two months after&nbsp;mass deaths of infants from the same hospital led to widespread shock and condemnation</a>.

Between 333 and 360 patients have been hospitalised over the last four days, The Indian Express reported, citing hospital records. The number of deaths vary from 12 to 20 each day.

Twelve children died on October 7, 20 on October 8, 18 died on October 9, and 19 deaths were reported on October 10.

The 19 children who have died in the last 24 hours include 13 new born infants, and six others suffering from Acute Encephalitis Syndrome, BRD Medical College principal PK Singh told The Indian Express.

The principal said that most of the deaths in the neonatal wing were because of illnesses like pneumonia, septicemia and asphyxia.

&quot;There are 118 children admitted at NICU at present, of which 13 died due to different medical reasons,&quot; BK Singh was quoted as saying.&nbsp;

The principal said that of the 333 patients admitted in the pediatric ward, 109 children were suffering from Acute Encephalitis Syndrome.

He added that a large number of newborns in critical condition had come to the hospital from far-off places.

A total of 60 deaths occurred at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College in five days - from August 7 to August 11.

Media reports and accounts of a few parents had held the disruption in oxygen supply accountable for the deaths.

Hospital officials have, however, claimed that alternative supplies had been found, and blamed many of the deaths instead on the encephalitis and unspecified issues related to the delivery of the infants born in the neo-natal ward.

A total of 290 children have died at the BRD Medical College between August 1 and August 28, DNA reported earlier.

The former principal of the medical college, the doctor in-charge of the particular ward and the supplier of liquid oxygen to the hospital have already been arrested.

 
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Between 333 and 360 patients have been hospitalised over the last four days, The Indian Express reported, citing hospital records. The number of deaths vary from 12 to 20 each day

Nineteen children have reportedly died at the Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur in the last 24 hours. Sixty-nine deaths have occurred at the hospital since October 7, two months after mass deaths of infants from the same hospital led to widespread shock and condemnation. Between 333 and 360 patients have been hospitalised over the last four days, The Indian Express reported, citing hospital records. The number of deaths vary from 12 to 20 each day. Twelve children died on October 7, 20 on October 8, 18 died on October 9, and 19 deaths were reported on October 10. The 19 children who have died in the last 24 hours include 13 new born infants, and six others suffering from Acute Encephalitis Syndrome, BRD Medical College principal PK Singh told The Indian Express. The principal said that most of the deaths in the neonatal wing were because of illnesses like pneumonia, septicemia and asphyxia. "There are 118 children admitted at NICU at present, of which 13 died due to different medical reasons," BK Singh was quoted as saying. The principal said that of the 333 patients admitted in the pediatric ward, 109 children were suffering from Acute Encephalitis Syndrome. He added that a large number of newborns in critical condition had come to the hospital from far-off places. A total of 60 deaths occurred at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College in five days - from August 7 to August 11. Media reports and accounts of a few parents had held the disruption in oxygen supply accountable for the deaths. Hospital officials have, however, claimed that alternative supplies had been found, and blamed many of the deaths instead on the encephalitis and unspecified issues related to the delivery of the infants born in the neo-natal ward. A total of 290 children have died at the BRD Medical College between August 1 and August 28, DNA reported earlier. The former principal of the medical college, the doctor in-charge of the particular ward and the supplier of liquid oxygen to the hospital have already been arrested.

Gorakhpur repeat: 69 deaths in 4 days at same hospital