The Supreme Court today upheld a High Court verdict that directed Impact Masudul Hoque Memorial Community Health Centre and IRIS enterprise, a medicine supplier, to pay Tk 10 lakh in compensation to each of the 17 victims who lost their eyesight following surgery at a health camp in March this year.

A seven-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed “no order” on a petition filed by IRIS enterprise seeking stay on the High Court verdict.

Writ petitioner Advocate Amit Das Gupta told The Daily Star that the High Court verdict will remain in force following the Supreme Court order.

Therefore, the IRIS Enterprise has to pay the money to the victim in a month as the health centre has already paid them Tk 5 lakh each as per the High Court verdict, Amit Das said.

On October 21, the High Court directed Impact Masudul Hoque Memorial Community Health Centre in Chuadanga and IRIS Enterprise to pay Tk 10 lakh in compensation to each of the 17 victims.

On March 5, twenty-four patients underwent cataract operations at the hospital in and a day after the surgery, all the patients were released.

But a few hours after returning home, 20 of them felt severe pain in their eyes due to infection.