HIV-hit thalassemic kids: State withdraws plea against CBI probe

The state government on Tuesday withdrew its petition in the Supreme Court whereby it had challenged the Gujarat High Court order to transfer the investigation in the case of 25 thalassemic children testing HIV+ after undergoing blood transfusion at a private blood bank at the Junagadh Civil Hospital to CBI.

Unhappy with the investigation done by the Gujarat Police in the case, the HC had handed over the probe to CBI last month.

The state government's petition came up for hearing in the SC before a bench of Justices H L Dattu and Chandramauli Kumar Prasad on Tuesday. However, when the court did not seem keen on allowing the petition, the state government withdrew the same.

Meanwhile, the investigation papers of the case were handed over to CBI, which has already started its probe.

In February this year, HC had ordered the state government to register an FIR in the case against those responsible on the basis of complaint lodged by the parents of the victim children. The court had also ordered to get the investigation supervised by a senior police officer of Deputy Inspector General of Police rank. However, it was not impressed by the investigation in spite of giving several chances to the state police to find out certain evidence in the case.

Eventually, on June 27, HC transferred probe to CBI while passing strictures against the state government's handling of the case.

The entire episode of the thalassemic children getting HIV infection allegedly during blood transfusion at Jamnagar Civil Hospital due to negligence of authorities had surfaced in September last year.

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