Mumbai: HC asks Centre to investigate deaths of nuclear scientists

The Bombay High Court on Friday asked the Central Government to reply to a petition filed about the suspicious and mysterious deaths of nuclear scientists in the country. The court asked the government to reply in detail about the cause of death of scientists, the investigation into the deaths, the conclusions drawn; norms, guidelines, policies, rules and details of measures taken by it (Central Government) to protect the health of scientists, and the compensation given to the families.

The bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice Girish Kulkarni were hearing a petition filed by Right to Information activist Chetan Kothari, who was represented by counsel Ashish Mehta.

Mehta has claimed that they found through RTI that many scientists have died in suspicious conditions in the past decade, and the police have just simply classified the deaths as either unexplained or suicides.

Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh told the bench that the department came directly under the Prime Minister, and he looked into all its affairs. He also told the court that the figures obtained by Kothari are not entirely right. "If someone had died of heart attack then he has been shown as dead under mysterious conditions," he said.

Justice Chellur has asked Singh to reply to substantiate his stand in two weeks time.