Telangana to High Court: 18 children from Sishu Gruhas dead

Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Tuesday informed the Hyderabad High Court that as many as 18 children died from January 2017 to January 2018 in Sishu Gruhas of the state. 

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice K Vijaya Lakshmi was dealing with a PIL by Balala Hakkula Sangham, represented by its president P. Achyuta Rao challenging the action of the Union of India and the Telangana government in not taking action against the authorities responsible for deaths and selling of many children in Sishu Gruhas of the state. 

Mr S. Sharath Kumar, special counsel of the state government submitted that allegation of the petitioner that 40 children have died in the Sishu Gruhas was not true only 18 deaths were reported in the past one year.

He said that inmates of Sishu Gruhas are abandoned babies either at markets or in dustbins and that the children died as their heath conditions were very critical at the time they were found. Doctors tried hard to save them.

He submitted that it was not true that they have died due to malnutrition and they have no objection if the court orders judicial probe into death of 18 children. 

He told the court that they have been feeding milk to children instead Lactogen as most of the children suffer from diarrhea. 

While considering the submissions, the bench directed the special counsel to file the affidavit with all the details.