Man approaches HC for Rs 1000 cr compensation over daughter's death due to Covid side effects

Mumbai, Feb 1: An Aurangabad resident has approached Bombay High Court seeking compensation of Rs 1000 crore from the Maharashtra government, Centre and Serum Institute of India claiming his daughter, a medical student, died due to side effects of the Covishield vaccine that she was administered in January last year.

Petitioner Dilip Lunawat, who filed the plea before the principal bench of HC last week, claimed his daughter Snehal, a medical student in Nashik, was administered both doses of the vaccine as part of the state government's initiative to vaccinate all health care workers.

The plea said Snehal was assured the COVID vaccine was completely safe, and posed no risk or threat to the body, and "was, therefore, compelled to take vaccine at the college since she was a health worker". Lunawat's plea said health workers like his daughter were compelled to take the vaccine due to the "false narratives created by Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), Director of All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), the Maharashtra government, and the Union government that vaccines are safe."

He said his daughter took the vaccine on January 28, 2021 and died a few weeks later on March 1 due to the side effects of those vaccines. Lunawat's plea claimed the Union government's AEFI committee on October 2, 2021 admitted the death of his daughter was due to side effects of Covishield vaccine.

"This petition is being filed to give justice to my daughter and in order to save the life of many more people which are likely to be murdered due to such unlawful activities of respondent authorities," the plea reads. The HC is yet to assign a date of hearing to the plea, which has made the Maharashtra and Union governments, vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India, and Bill Gates respondent parties. PTI