SC admits petition seeking Rs 143 crore compensation

New Delhi, Mar 30 (UNI) The Supreme Court today admitted a petition filed by a US-based doctor claiming a compensation of Rs 143 crores for the death of his doctor wife who died in May 1998 due to medical negligence.

According to the petitioner, Dr Kunal Saha, he had already pledged before the court that the entire compensation, as and when he gets, would be spent for promotion of healthcare in India.

Senior counsel M N Krishnamani appearing for the petitioner contended before the Bench, comprising Justices B N Agarwal and P P Naolekar, that two senior doctors Sukumar Mukherjee and Dr Baidyanath Halder of AMRI- Apollo hospital, Kolkata, had already been convicted by a criminal court in the case and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment in 2002 and the appeal was pending in this court.

Anuradha, who was having a skin allergy, died at the age of 36 due to medical negligence by the doctors. Other respondents include Dr Abani Roychowdhury, Dr Balram Prasad and Dr Kausik Nandi.

UNI