THE HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE NOOTY RAMAMOHANA RAO WRIT PETITION No. 24224 of 2001 O R D E R: This Writ Petition has been instituted by a Committee, which is a registered body interested in the welfare of the tribal communities. It sought for a writ of mandamus to declare the action of the respondents in not considering the representation submitted by it on 25.11.2001 as illegal and hence, to get the matter enquired through CBI. It is alleged in the affidavit filed in support of the Writ Petition that one Sri V. Prabhakar Rao, a member belonging to Scheduled Castes community working as a workman with HPCL at its Vijayawada terminal committed suicide unable to bear the humiliation, heaped upon by the officers of the organization in the presence of the fellow-employees. Similarly, one other employee, by name Sri David Raju could not attend to duty on a particular day, as he was laid up with fever and when he called his office on telephone to inform about his likely absence from duty, the said employee David Raju has been abused by the superior officers for his proposed absence. Fearing a serious action would follow, the said individual started to duty and en route met with an accident and succumbed to those injuries later on. Another employee by name Sri D. Gangaram also died fairly at a young age coming under tremendous stress and strain all due to the cruel treatment meted out to him by the officers of the Corporation. The writ petitioner association, therefore, sought for a detailed enquiry into the matter to be conducted. Though this Writ Petition has been instituted in November 2001, the Chief Liaison Officer (SC/ST), HPCL, Mumbai, the 8th respondent has filed a detailed counter-affidavit into the Court only on 26.03.2010. In paragraph 5, it was reported that Sri V. Prabhakara Rao, an employee of the Corporation at Vijayawada died on 16.12.1999 at Nagarjuna Hospital, Vijayawada. It was stated that the said individual was involved in a road accident and was found lying unconscious at about 06.00 a.m. on 30.11.1999 on a road near Undavalli locality of Tadepalli Mandal of Guntur District and his motor cycle was also found lying besides him. The police have also taken up the matter by registering the related crime. An auto driver, who was a passer by, got him admitted initially at the Government Hospital at Vijayawada where from he was subsequently shifted to Nagarjuna Hospital, a private super-specialty hospital recognized by HPCL, by the close relatives of the employee. The HPCL immediately attended to all the medical needs and assistance to the employee and in fact paid an amount of Rs.70,000/- to cover the medical expenses. But the employee could not survive the trauma. The Post-mortem examination revealed that the employee died due to the head injuries sustained by him in the motor accident. Therefore, the allegations relating to the death of Sri V. Prabhakara Rao are not true and the death of Sri V. Prabhakara Rao has been caused due to a road accident. Similarly, Sri David Raju, while attending to the office complained of uneasiness in his chest. He was immediately rushed to the company doctor and upon the advice of the company doctor, Sri David Raju has been admitted to the intensive coronary care unit of Usha Cardiac Centre, a private cardiac hospital at Vijayawada, whereat he was treated by Dr. Y.V. Rao, Cardiologist. He died while undergoing treatment on 11.11.2000, due to a massive heart attack suffered by him and hence, the death of Sri David Raju has come about due to massive heart attack suffered by him and it is improper to attribute the same to any factor of his employment. Insofar as Sri D. Gangaram is concerned, he and his wife appear to have developed some differences amongst themselves and consequently, both of them got depressed and committed suicide together at far off Hyderabad. Therefore, the death of Sri D. Gangaram along with his wife is in no way connected with his employment with the HPCL. Therefore, the factors, which have been made the basis for soliciting investigation by the CBI are totally inappropriate instances of death of employees. The casuative factor for the death of these three employees is wholly unconnected to the employment per se. In view of the detailed counter-affidavit filed by the 8th respondent, the relief sought for in the Writ Petition cannot be granted. It cannot be construed that this is one such case where callous indifference has been exhibited by the employer or law enforcing agencies to look into the cases of unnatural deaths. I, therefore, do not consider it appropriate to grant relief as prayed for in this Writ Petition. Before I part with this case, I direct that HPCL, being a public sector undertaking of the Government of India, to ensure that no unnatural death of any of its employees would be left unattended to and inquired into. If any casuative factors are found to be attributable to the employment per se, appropriate remedial measures would be put in place, as a part of securing overall welfare of their employees, who are none other than the citizens of this country. Therefore, I find no reason to issue the writ as prayed for. Hence, the Writ Petition is dismissed, but however, without costs. ---------------------------------- (NOOTY RAMAMOHANA RAO, J) 2nd July 2010 ksld