Bombay High Court asks Centre to take care of scientists, Army; seeks report on deaths

Source:- intoday.in

Hearing a PIL, the Bombay High Court has asked the Centre to submit a detailed report on the deaths of scientists. The high court observed that the Army and scientists are two sets of people, who needed to be taken care of by the government.

The Bombay High Court today asked the central government to file a detailed affidavit concerning death of nuclear scientists in India.

A division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice G S Kulkarni directed the Centre to submit a report on the deaths of scientists in the country.

The Centre’s reply should have not just details of cause of death and the investigation there in done by the Investigating agencies but also “norms, guidelines, policy, rules and details of measures taken to protect the health of scientists and the compensation given to the families of scientists.”

SAVE SCIENTISTS, SOLDIERS: THINGS TO KNOW

1. The Bombay High Court bench was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed activist Chetan Kothari, who had found out under the Right To Information (RTI) Act that many scientists have died in suspicious and unexplained deaths over the last couple of decades.
2. The petitioner stated that police had not investigated the mysterious circumstances under which dead bodies of a few scientists were found. The PIL says that the police simply classify these deaths as either “unexplained” or “suicides”.
3. Justice Chellur observed that both the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board as well as the Atomic Energy Commission filed affidavits but they were very generic in nature and did not explain the investigation done and the conclusion arrived at as to the reason behind the deaths.
4. Counsel for the petitioner Ashish Mehta today pointed out in the court the lackadaisical approach of the investigating agencies in the matters of deaths of scientists as revealed by the documents obtained under the RTI Act.
5. During the hearing, Justice Chellur said, “Army and scientists, these are two sets of people, who should be taken care of. Life expectancy is around 70 then there should be a reason why people are dying at 50. If this goes on, then my worry is that no one will come to work here and nations interest will suffer.”
6. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh told the Bombay High Court that the details provided by the petitioners are not correct.
7. “If someone had died of heart attack then he has been shown as dying under mysterious circumstance by the petitioner. Radiation in nuclear plants is below permissible levels. We provide better health care facilities. Even compensation given to the families is as per norms,” said Singh.
8. Counsel Mehta pointed out to the media reports, attached with the petition, about the bodies of scientists being found under mysterious circumstances.
9. Justice Chellur told the Additional Solicitor Genral that the bench was not criticising the department but if lives of scientists were at risk then it should be a cause of concern. “Are they really paying serious attention? Is everything in order? That is all we want to know. Give us material to substantiate your statement,” the Bombay High Court Chief Justice told the government counsel.
10. According to Department of Atomic Energy records, 11 nuclear scientists died unnatural deaths during 2009-13 in the country.