The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, to pay a compensation of Rs 1 crore to a software engineer of Infosys, who found himself paralyzed waist down following the carelessness of the doctors in performing a major surgical operation.

The victim, Prashant S Dhananka, 39, who energetically argued his case from a wheelchair he has been restricted to since the surgery on September 19, 1990, had asked for Rs 7 crore as compensation as he has been made handicapped forever and his chance of marrying and having a family have vanished forever.

But the court expressed its inability to direct.

However, the court settled for an almost seven-fold increase in the Rs 15 lakh amount granted by the Andhra Pradesh high court.

The SC respected the way in which Prashant appeared in person and fought his case in a brilliant way.

A Bench of Justices comprising Mr. B N Agrawal, Mr. G S Singhvi and Mr. H S Bedi held the premier medical institute of Andhra Pradesh responsible of gross carelessness while performing the surgical operation on Prashant.

The bench awarded, perhaps, the highest-ever compensation to a victim of medical negligence in the country.

"We have no other option but to conclude that the attending doctors were seriously remiss in the conduct of the operation and it was on account of this neglect the paraplegia had set in," the bench said.

Prashant, who went to the hospital for removal of a tumour in chest cavity, was carelessly operated upon by doctors leading to the medical state called "paraplegia" which made him paralytic forever.

Despite being paralysed from chest downwards Prashant, 39, works for 12 to 13 hours daily.

On Thursday, when the SC passed the order, Prashant was at work routinely.

"We spoke briefly over the phone. He asked, 'is it enough for me to live for 75 years'. He knows it's very little compared to what he has lost," his mother Indira Sheshadri said, as she waited for Prashant to come home.

It was 9:30 pm when the senior project engineer at Infosys arrived.

Today, Prashant needs a personal attendant for all things he does.

"I need to take breaks every half-an-hour to do exercises to prevent my body from becoming stiff. If others take 30 minutes to get ready to go to work, I need three hours. I need to be at work 12 to 13 hours to achieve an output of nine hours. I am 39 now and I don't know how long I will be able to sustain this," he said.