US court compensates $200,000 to Nepali doctor’s family

Kathmandu, February 15

US federal court last week gave a verdict in favour of Nepali doctor Shiva Lal Acharya, 33, who hanged himself with bed sheets in a US prison eight years ago.

The jury directed the US authorities to provide $200,000 as compensation to Dr Acharya’s family due to prison officials’ failure to provide him proper care and take precautions as per a report published in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Thursday.

Dr Acharya killed himself in his cell at Allegheny County Jail on December 13, 2008, while awaiting trial in a hit-and-run case.

He was charged in September 2008 with hitting and killing a man on a motorcycle, Keith Brown of Green Bay, on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. He was charged with fleeing from the scene after hitting the motorcyclist and hiding for hours in the forest.

Lawyers representing Dr Acharya’s family sued prison officials in 2009, saying jail officials knew Dr Acharya was suicidal, but didn’t do enough to stop him from hanging himself.

Dr Acharya moved to the US in 2005 and was practising medicine in Chicago.