Bhubaneswar, Nov. 27 -- Right to health is an integral part of the right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, the Orissa high court noted as it awarded Rs.20-lakh compensation to the wife of an undertrial prisoner, who died in custody due to medical negligence by jail authorities.

Justice Biraja Prasanna Satapathy while delivering the judgment in a petition filed by the wife of the deceased held that the prison authorities failed to provide adequate medical treatment to the undertrial despite knowing he was a chronic diabetic patient.

"This Court is of the view that by the time direction was issued to shift the UTP (undertrial prisoner) for better treatment, his health condition had already deteriorated," th...