SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh High Court today rejected the bail plea of an engineer who has been arrested in connection with the jaudice outbreak case here.
Assistant Engineer (Lifting), Abhishek Sharma of Ashwani Khud water supply scheme was arrested and sent to one day in police remand and later remanded to judicial custody.
Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan (vacation judge) snubbed the departments concerned for being insensitive during the argument on the bail plea and dismissed the bail plea as withdrawn.
The Special Investigation team (SIT) constituted to go into the reasons for outbreak of jaundice and to fix the responsibility, has so far arrested seven persons including the contractor, executive engineer, two assistant engineers, two junior engineers and a supervisor, and all of them are in judicial custody.
The SIT has questioned senior officers of departments concerned including the Irrigation and Public Health Department, Shimla Municipal Corporation and Pollution Control Board and also sent questionnaires to Member secretary Pollution Control Board and Commissioner, and Shimla Municipal Corporation.
About 1,500 persons were suffering with jaundice which has claimed six lives and the disease has spread to adjoining districts of Solan and Sirmaur.
The supply of water from Ashwani Khud scheme had been stopped and the government has directed the residents and schools to get their water tanks cleaned.