Jamshedpur, Feb. 6 -- The Jharkhand high court (HC) has ordered the state government to immediately register an FIR in connection with five minor thalassemia patients who allegedly contracted HIV following blood transfusions at Chaibasa Sadar Hospital in West Singhbhum district in October last year, lawyers said on Thursday. "The HC single bench of justice Gautam Kumar Chaudhary directed the state government to immediately register an FIR forthwith and supply a copy of the same to the families of the victims and to the court along with a counter affidavit before the next hearing. The court has fixed the next hearing on February 18," Md Shadab Ansari, advocate who moved the criminal writ petition on behalf of the families of the victims' children, told HT on Thursday. "Infected blood will come within the definition under section 3(b) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The use of spurious drugs is a cognizable offence under section 36AC of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Dusru Kunkal filed a written report regarding this before the officer-in-charge of Chaibasa Sadar police station (PS), West Singhbhum, but the case has not been lodged. The petitioners are from a poor and marginalised section of society, and despite the complaint, an FIR has not been lodged," the HC order said. "There cannot be any cavil with the legal proposition that the police are under a statutory duty to lodge an FIR when the complaint discloses a cognizable offence. Any of the petitioners, through their guardian, may lodge a written report before the concerned PS, which will be registered without any delay, and a copy of the same will be given to the informant. After such institution, a copy of the written report will be filed before this court by way of a counter affidavit by the OC of the concerned PS," the HC order read....