United Hospital fire: SC asks to pay 25L to each victim’s family

The Appellate Division of Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday asked the United Hospital authorities to pay Tk25 lakh each to the families of four out of five victims killed in a fire at the hospital on May 27, 2020.

A bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, asked the hospital authorities to pay the money within a month, reports Bangla Tribune.

The court issued the directive after disposing of an appeal filed by the hospital challenging the High Court’s (HC) directive that ordered it to pay Tk30 lakh to each of the families within 15 days.

Earlier on January 17, the Appellate Division had stayed the High Court directive given on January 11 regarding the payment of the compensation.

It issued a rule on January 11 asking the government to explain why directives should not be given to the authorities concerned to provide Tk15 crore to the families of the victims as compensation.

Later, the hospital authorities filed a review appeal with the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order.

Earlier on July 14, last year, the High Court directed the hospital authorities to pay the four victims Tk30 lakh as compensation.

On July 21, 2020, Chamber Judge Justice Md Nuruzzaman stayed the High Court order.

The Appellate Division on August 20, last year, extended the stay order on a High Court directive that had asked to pay Tk30 lakh to each of the families of four out of five victims.

The court did not issue any order over the family of Monir Hossain, who was also killed in the fire, as they settled the matter through out-of-court negotiations with the hospital authorities.

On May 27, 2020, a fire broke out at the coronavirus isolation unit of the United Hospital that killed four men and one woman.

A case was filed against the hospital authorities with Gulshan police station on charge of "death by negligence."