Chamarajanagar deaths: Inquiry by IAS officer in limbo

IAS officer Shivayogi Kalasad, who was ordered on May 3 to submit a report to the government within three days, is yet to do so

The probe into the deaths of 24 Covid patients at Chamarajanagar district hospital due to lack of adequate oxygen, by senior IAS officer Shivayogi Kalasad, has fallen into a limbo.

Kalasad, who was ordered on May 3 to submit a report to the government within three days, is yet to do so.

The next day, the High Court opined that the Chamarajanagar incident was a fit case to be probed by a retired judge.

On May 5, the state government appointed a one-man commission of inquiry under retired High Court judge B A Patil. The High Court, which termed the government’s move “overreaching the order of the court,” ordered the seizure of all documents on May 6 and directed Chief Secretary to take custody of the same.

It also asked Justices A N Venugopala Gowda K N Keshavanarayana to look into the records who submitted the report to the High Court on Tuesday.

Read | The bench had expressed displeasure about the manner in which the state government constituted the commission of inquiry

The court, however, allowed the government-appointed official to refer the documents for his probe.

Speaking to DH, Kalasad said that he was yet to submit the report to the government. “I have sought clarification from the government (on continuing with the probe) as the High Court, too, has ordered an inquiry,” he said. The response from the government is expected in a day or two, he added.

Principal Secretary (Revenue) N Manjunatha Prasad, who is also the Member-Secretary, Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority, said that report of Kalasad’s inquiry ordered on May 3 was not submitted as both the state government and High Court ordered inquiries into the incident. “Since both are investigating, the report (by Kalasad) cannot be submitted,” he said.

Prasad said preliminary findings were in a sealed cover and will be submitted to the High Court if needed.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajneesh Goel said the validity of the Justice B A Patil Commission of Inquiry will depend on the outcome of the order of the High Court which will hear the case on Wednesday.