The High Court had asked the civic body to pay at least Rs 10 lakh as immediate compensation to Nerurkars. 

The civic body would file an affidavit in this regard before the next hearing on March 18. “It is still not clear as to who is to be held responsible for it (the theft). So, how can we just pay the compensation to the parents when the culprit is not booked,” said Standing Committee Chairperson Ravindra Waikar.  “How can we suspend anyone when things are still not clear, the incident is more of a criminal nature,” Waikar added.

Earlier, when the BMC refused to pay the compensation, the court had directed its Commissioner Jairaj Phatak to state this on the affidavit before the next hearing. The initial inquiry conducted by the BMC has blamed the security machinery at the hospital but gave a clean chit to the doctor and nurses in charge of the ward when the theft took place.

The civic body’s standing committee also decided to close the gates as a measure for stricter security. “We don’t know who should be blamed — the doctor who was on duty or the head of the department. In any case, we will close all the gates of the hospital to check the influx of the people. It will be cumbersome for the visitors, but this is a necessary step that we have to take,” said Waikar.