Cuttack, Sept. 19: Orissa High Court has refused to order a CBI probe into the Cuttack saline tragedy after adjudicating for 12 years.

The court, however, awarded compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to families of the three victims of the tragedy involving alleged administration of contaminated saline.

Three women patients and two newborns died allegedly because of administration of contaminated saline at the gynaecology and obstetrics department of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on July 1 and 2, 2000.

Disposing of a PIL yesterday, the division bench of Chief Justice V. Gopala Gowda and Justice B.N. Mohapatra ruled “there is no need to further direct the CBI to investigate the incident as the deaths because of administration of spurious transfusion fluid supplied by the hospital authorities has been investigated under the supervision of director-general of police (vigilance)”.

The vigilance report recommended the initiation of appropriate action against the state’s drug controller and directorate of export promotion marketing authorities for their lapse and for expediting departmental action against all the defaulting doctors, the court ruled.

Dibya Kesari Deo, a resident of the city had filed the PIL. The petition sought a CBI probe into the deaths and alleged racket in supply and purchase of substandard drugs at the hospital.