Allahabad HC Rejects Bail Plea Of ANM Niha Khan Who Was Found Not Injecting Covid Vaccine After Inserting Needle

The Allahabad High Court has rejected the anticipatory bail application of Niha Khan, an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) at the Jamalpur urban primary health centre of Aligarh, who was arrested for throwing 29 Covid-19 vaccine-loaded syringes.

Justice Rahul Chaturvedi dismissed the anticipatory bail application filed by Khan.

According to the petitioner, she was framed for political benefit by her co-workers. The syringes were recovered from a dustbin and her co-workers framed her because of personal rivalry, she pleaded.

On 30 May, an FIR was registered after district health officials came to know about the incident and a two-member inquiry committee was set up to look into the matter.

Khan, who was deputed at Jamalpur urban primary health centre (UPHC), is accused of allegedly throwing the vaccine jabs in the dustbin. She used to insert the needle inside the recipient's body but did not inject the Covid-19 vaccine.

The matter came to light after 29 injections with vaccine doses inside them were found in the dustbin as the said UPHC. Dr Bhanu Pratap Kalyani, the chief medical officer (CMO) of Aligarh, had ordered a probe into the incident by a committee of additional CMO Dr MK Mathur and deputy CMO Durgesh Kumar.

The probe committee interrogated the staff, including ANM Khan, of Jamalpur UPHC and submitted its report following which the District Magistrate of Aligarh Chandra Bhushan Singh sent a show-cause notice to Khan. The DM has also instructed the health department to terminate her from the service.

Vaccination in charge Aarfeen Zehra was also booked as she allegedly failed to inform the authorities, despite coming to know of the alleged incident.

Additional Advocate General Manish Goyal and Additional Government Counsel AK Sand, appearing for state government, opposed the plea on the grounds that the incident was not a mistake or negligence but deliberate act by the accused.

With IANS Inputs