High Court : Improper Assistance to Prisoner; Issues Notice to Three Doctors

Shimla, Aug 31

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has taken serious notice of the improper assistance provided to a prisoner in a medical case. Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Ranjan Sharma have issued a show-cause notice to three doctors from the PGIMER. The court has ordered the doctors to submit personal affidavits. The court has also directed the doctors to surrender within 24 hours. The court found that Associate Professor Dr. Raja Ramachandran from the Department of Nephrology, the concerned Senior Resident, and the Medical Superintendent of Nehru Hospital PGIMER, Chandigarh, provided incorrect medical assistance to the prisoner. The court examined the certificate and found that the doctors recommended a 15-day leave for the prisoner after treating him for 21 days. Based on this certificate, the prisoner sought parole extension. The petitioner’s lawyer has been given until September 1 to surrender. The court was informed that the petitioner had been serving a sentence in Kanda Jail, Shimla, for the past 14 years. Due to deteriorating health, he had sought parole from the jail administration to receive medical treatment. The jail administration approved parole until September 2023. The petitioner underwent treatment at PGIMER from August 6 to August 10. During this period, he remained at PGIMER. As the end of his parole period neared, the petitioner presented a medical certificate from PGIMER doctors, requesting an extension. Following this, the petitioner’s lawyer pleaded for an extension in court. The court discovered that the PGIMER doctors had recommended a leave from September 1 to September 15. The court initially found that the petitioner had received treatment from August 6 to August 10, and no leave was recommended from August 10 to August 31. The order for a 15-day leave from September 1 was given due to the petitioner’s parole ending on September 1.