HC orders judicial probe into Jagriti Shukla death case

Prayagraj: Hearing two PILs alleging medical negligence leading to the death of advocate Jagriti Shukla, the Allahabad high court on Wednesday ordered a judicial inquiry to be conducted by retired high court judge Justice Arun Tandon.

The court also directed the lawyers not to stage road blockades and asked the doctors not to go on strike.

The PIL petitions were filed by Amit Kumar Singh alias Sonu and Mamta Singh. Advocate Jagriti Shukla had suffered serious injuries in a road accident and was admitted to Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital, an associated hospital of Motilal Nehru Medical College, on May 20.

A division bench of Justice Salil Kumar Rai and Justice Swarupama Chaturvedi passed this order after hearing the counsel for the petitioners and the state counsels.

Both the petitioners claimed that the investigating agency was not conducting a fair probe. The petitioners also alleged that the advocate’s death was caused by medical negligence and that attempts were being made to shield the medical personnel involved.

Earlier, on June 9, the court had directed the state counsel to apprise it of the progress made in the criminal investigation into the incident.

An FIR was lodged by a woman advocate, a member of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association, who had initially accompanied Jagriti to the medical college after the accident.

Jagriti Shukla had suffered injuries in a road accident and was taken to the emergency wing of SRN Hospital by fellow lawyers.

However, lawyers alleged that she was not provided prompt medical attention and was subjected to rude behaviour by junior doctors, leading to a confrontation that escalated into violence at the hospital. She was later shifted to a private hospital and subsequently referred to SGPGI in Lucknow where she succumbed to injuries.