Appellate Division stays compensation for United Hospital fire victims
The chamber judge also set August 16 for further hearing on the matter at the full bench of the Appellate Division
The Appellate Division chamber judge today stayed a High Court order that had directed United Hospital to pay Tk30 lakh in compensation to each of the families of four out of five victims killed in a fire at the hospital.
Responding to an appeal by the hospital authorities, the virtual Chamber Court of Justice Md Nuruzzaman put up the compensation order till August 16 and fixed the date for further hearing on the matter at the full bench of the Appellate Division.
Barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud and Mostafizur Rahman conducted the hearing on behalf of the hospital.
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Lawyers AM Amin Uddin, Hasan MS Azim, Muntasir Uddin Ahmed, Anik R Haque and Niaz Mohammad Mahbub appeared for the writ petition.
On July 15, the virtual High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim asked United Hospital to pay Tk30 lakh to the victims' families within the next 15 days.
However, the court did not issue any order regarding the family of Monir Hossain, who was also killed in the fire, as they had settled the matter through discussions with the hospital authorities.
On June 29, the court directed the hospital authorities to negotiate a settlement with the victims' families by July 11.
Later the hospital authorities sent a letter to the families, asking them to attend a negotiation meeting. Four of the families did not agree to the offer of the hospital authorities. Only Monir Hossain's family negotiated for Tk20 lakh.
On May 30, lawyer Niaz Mahmud filed the writ petition seeking necessary directives to investigate and demanding compensation for the deaths of five people in an AC blast at the Covid-19 isolation unit of United Hospital in Gulshan.
Following the court's order on the writ petition, the High Court sought separate reports from the Inspector General of Police, Fire Service and Civil Defense brigade and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha on the incident.
The three reports, submitted to the court, revealed negligence of the hospital authorities.
On the night of May 27, an AC explosion started a fire in the coronavirus isolation unit of United Hospital. Later, fire fighters put out fire. Five bodies were recovered from the spot. Among the dead were four men and a woman.
Later on June 3, a relative of one of the victims filed a case against the hospital authorities with Gulshan Police Station, bringing allegation of "negligent death".
