Pay Tk 30 lakh to victim families: HC

The High Court yesterday directed United Hospital authorities to pay Tk 30 lakh as initial payment to each of the families of four victims, who were killed in a fire at its isolation unit on May 27 last year, in 15 days.

The court also issued a rule asking the authorities to explain in four weeks  why they should not be directed to give Tk 15 crore to each victim's family as compensation. The four victims were Vernon Anthony Paul (75), Riyajul Alam (45), Khodeja Begum (70) and Md Mahbub (50).

Yesterday, the HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam came up with the order and rule following four separate writ petitions filed by the families of the victims seeking necessary directives for adequate compensation.

Following the same writ petitions, a virtual HC bench led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim on July 15 last year directed the United Hospital authorities to pay Tk 30 lakh to each of the four victims' families.

The hospital authorities had been directed to pay the money as an initial payment in 15 days of receiving the HC order copy.

The United Hospital authorities filed a petition with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on July 20 last year, seeking a stay on the HC directive.

The Appellate Division in August last year stayed the HC order and asked the writ petitioners to again move the same writ petitions before a regular HC bench for issuing a rule and necessary directives of the issue.

 Niaz Mohammad Mahboob, who moved one of the writ petitions, told The Daily Star yesterday that the family of Monir Hossain, one of the five victims who were killed in the fire, had already been paid Tk 20 lakh as initial payment by the hospital.

Several lawyers including Aneek R Haque and Muntasir Uddin Ahmed appeared for the writ petitioners while lawyers Mustafizur Rahman Khan and Kazi Ershadul Alam argued for United Hospital.