SC refuses to interfere with HC order directing CBI probe

New Delhi, Mar 30: The Supreme Court has refused to interfere with a Madras High Court order directing a CBI probe into nearly 65 people of two villages in Vilupuram district in Tamil Nadu losing their vision due to contaminated eye drops used by doctors in 2008.

A bench of Justices G S Singvi and A K Ganguly dismissed the petition yesterday filed by a doctor challenging the High Court order in which the investigating agency was directed to fix the responsibility for the incident.

The High Court on March 10 had ordered the probe, saying that the incident is no less heinous than that of the Bhagalpur blinding case.

The court had passed the order after it was alleged by a Human Rights Organisation that the government officials and doctors had syphoned off the huge fund granted by the Centre for organising free eye camp for cataract surgery.

It was alleged that out of the Rs 23.25 crore allotted to the Tamil Nadu State Blindness Control Society in 2008-2009, nearly 50 per cent of the funds had been given to Joseph Eye Hospital, Tiruchi.

In this case more than 100 villagers had came forward to get treatment but 23 persons from Nainarpalayam and 43 from Kadavanur were shortlisted for the cataract surgery and they were taken to the hospital.

As several persons had lost their vision, a team of specialists was constituted to enquire into the matter. The panel submitted its report opining that contaminated Ringer Lactate used during the operation and air contamination in the operation theatre of the hospital may be the reason for the infection which caused blindness.

PTI