Times
of India: Gurgaon: Friday, 29 January 2016.
The Central
Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Centre and the Haryana government
to disclose if private hospital Medanta was given any subsidy or concession in
land allotment.
The case
relates to the death of former Chief Justice of India J S Verma who was
undergoing treatment at the hospital in Gurgaon. RTI activist Subhash Agrawal
had filed a plea wanting to know if former CJI M N Venkatachaliah, along with
34 eminent citizens, had sought an inquiry into Justice Verma's death allegedly
due to medical lapses.
Agrawal had
asked about the cost of Justice Verma's treatment and who had made the payment.
He also asked if any subsidy or concession was received by the hospital from
the central or state government. Prompted by Haryana health department's
response that it had "no control'' over a private hospital, information
commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu has sought to know if the state or the Centre
had given any concessions.
"Earlier,
the wife of the former CJI had also written a similar letter to the prime
minister. Such letters from eminent citizens from all walks of life on death of
a devoted and honest jurist who spent his post-retirement life in a rented
house is indeed a matter of serious concern," Acharyulu said.
Such
information had to be furnished and the reply "no control over private
hospital" was incomplete and misleading and was contrary to the provisions
of the Act for bringing about transparency in the working of the government, he
added. The CPIO should act reasonably and diligently, the commission said.
Acharyulu
directed the central government and the health department of Haryana government
"to explain whether any concession or subsidy or any other facility was
given to this private hospital".