×
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

DU radiation leak case: Court calls 6 professors

Last Updated 27 February 2012, 19:00 IST

A Delhi court on Monday took cognisance of the chargesheet and issued notices to six Delhi University professors in the 2010 Mayapuri radiation leak case.

The incident had claimed one life and left seven others injured after being exposed to radioactive material at a scrap market.

Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen took cognisance of the chargesheet, which was under consideration since September last year. The judge then issued summons to the six accused for hearing on March 12.

Delhi police had filed the chargesheet in September last year, accusing six Delhi University professors of endangering people’s lives by auctioning a radioactive gamma irradiator device.

The professors allegedly did not follow mandatory precautions. The chargesheet also named former head of Chemistry department V S Parmar and former dean of Science Roop Lal as accused in the case.

Rakesh Kumar, Ramesh Chandra Rastogi, Ashok Prasad and Rita Kakkar have also been named in the police document under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, dealing with causing death by rash and negligent acts and causing grievous hurt.

Sold in scrap marketThe radiation device was sold in a scrap market in violation of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board rules, which say any chemical product emitting radiation cannot be auctioned and disposed of without following mandatory regulations.

A person had died and seven were injured in April 2010 after they were exposed to radiation when they cut open a Cobalt-60 irradiator at Mayapuri scrap market. The device was traced to DU’s Chemistry department.

According to police, two committees comprising university professors were formed before the irradiator was decided to be auctioned. The first committee was formed to find out material that were of no use to DU. The second committee decided the items that were to be auctioned, the chargesheet said.

The six professors were in the committees and they had recommended the auction, police said.

ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 27 February 2012, 19:00 IST)

Follow us on

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT