On a hot, humid Thursday, a 60-year-old litigant suffered a fatal heart attack while he stood in a queue at a ‘pass-counter’ opposite gate no. 7 of the Delhi High Court. The man, Suresh Nayyar, died while he was being raced to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital just six kilometres away.
The emergent situation revealed the loopholes in the system. Neither, the Delhi Police personnel deployed at the pass-counter or at the entry gates of the High Court nor the lawyers or general public knew basic life-saving technique.
What was more shocking was that the police and the lawyers did not know of a health centre that was located on the high court complex which could have provided much needed first-aid.
Advocate and social activist Ashok Agarwal, who is contesting a service matter of one of the members of the family, says, “It is shocking to learn that the pass counter and the entire area is thick with lawyers, police and public but no one knew that there is a hospital on the court complex. The PCR stationed right outside the pass-counter was also of no help. The litigants should be informed of the facilities available for them on the court complex.”
“The incident was unfortunate. The Bar Association will on its own and also with the High Court administration put up boards informing litigants at large that emergency medical facilities are available. It is surprising that the police authorities did not show presence of mind to take the suffering person to the High Court medical facilities.
Whenever such an incident has occurred in the past, immediate medical attention has been provided. It is certainly a wake up call and I am sure that the High Court administration will act with alacrity,” said advocate Abhijat, Secretary of the Delhi HC Bar Association
Dr K K Agarwal, whose team trains the police in CPR technique says similar program was conducted at the High Court last year for lawyers and judges.
Sanjay Beniwal, Special CP (Operations) said the police deployed outside gate no. 7 is not a PCR team but a Quick Response Team which is not trained in life-saving techniques and are not even authorised to handle such situations.
On the police not knowing about the health centre on the complex, Mr Beniwal said they have no job to enter the court, so how would they know about the centre.
