Man seeks ₹1,000-crore compensation claiming his daughter died due to Covishield side effects

The petitioner claimed that his daughter died due to the side effects of the Covishield vaccine which was manufactured by SII and administered to citizens without proper verification by the authorities.

Mumbai: The Bombay high court has issued a notice to Serum Institute of India (SII) and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who has partnered with SII, and asked them to respond to a petition filed by a Nashik resident for compensation of ₹1,000 crore, claiming that his 33-year-old daughter, who was a doctor by profession, died in March 2021 after being forced to take Covishield vaccine.

A medic shows vial containing doses of Covishield vaccine (PTI)

The petitioner claimed that his daughter died due to the side effects of the Covishield vaccine which was manufactured by SII and administered to citizens across the state without proper verification by the authorities. The division bench of justices S V Gangapurwala and Madhav Jamdar, while hearing the petition filed by Dilip Lunawat through advocates Abhishek Mishra and Vijay Kurle, was informed that the petitioner was seeking compensation for the untimely death of his daughter, Dr Snehal Lunawat, after suffering from side effects of Covishield vaccine which was administered to her on January 28, 2021.

The bench was informed that after the Government of India announced the use of the Covishield vaccine, his daughter was made to take the first dose of the vaccine after which she started suffering from various side effects. “The side effects worsened when she went to Gurgaon for a workshop on February 6 due to which she had to be admitted to a hospital. The doctors stated that she was suffering from bleeding in the brain, clot formation and low platelets,” petitioner said.

The petition stated that these conditions were stated to be a result of Astra Zeneca and Covishield vaccines in some countries. The petition then stated that when her condition did not improve after 14 days of hospitalisation in Gurgaon the family brought her to a hospital in Aurangabad where she passed away after eight days.

The petitioner’s father alleged that as the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) and various other authorities had recommended the use of the vaccine without verifying the extent of side effects, he was seeking compensation for the loss of his daughter due to vaccination.

The petition also relies on the confirmation by the Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) Committee report confirming that the death of the doctor was due to the side effects of the vaccine. After hearing the petition, the bench directed the respondents -- SII, Bill Gates, Centre and state governments -- to respond to the petition and posted the hearing of the petition to November 17.