Patna, Aug. 5: State human rights commission has awarded a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh in a case dealing with the delay in delivery of financial assistance to a beneficiary because of which he lost his life.

While delivering its order recently, the commission observed that the amount should be paid by the state and it had the liberty to recover the amount from the officer, whom the commission held responsible for the delay in payment to the deserving beneficiary, which led to his death. The commission has sought a compliance report of its order within eight weeks from the date on which the order was issued.

The officer in question, S.K. Sinha, is working as joint commissioner in the commercial taxes (audit) department. At the time of the incident, Sinha was the accounts officer in the office of resident commissioner of Bihar in Delhi.

The case is related to late Ravindra Kumar, a resident of Warsaliganj in Nawada district. Kumar lost his life on October 18, 2009 during treatment in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. He was first treated for heart ailments at Indira Gandhi Institute of Cardiology, Patna, between February and April in 2009. He was referred to AIIMS for valve replacement, where he was advised to undergo surgery called Double Valve Reconstruction involving a cost of Rs 1.46 lakh.

After getting the advice, Kumar submitted an application, along with the necessary documents, in the office of resident commissioner, Bihar Bhavan, New Delhi, seeking assistance from the chief minister’s medical assistance fund.

After due verifications of the application by the office of the Nawada district magistrate and getting the report, the resident commissioner sanctioned Rs 1.3 lakh of financial assistance. The cheque for the said amount was prepared on September 2, 2009. The cheque, however, could not be handed over on the ground that the income certificate of the patient was needed.

The cheque was handed over on October 10, 2009 and was submitted at AIIMS on the same day. Intimation was given to the hospital management on October 12, and the applicant died on October 18.

During the hearing of the case, the commission did not accept the health department’s plea that there was no provision of payment of compensation. It also refused to accept the plea of the accounts officer that the delay in issuing the cheque was because of delay in submission of the applicant’s income certificate.