Court Suggests Special Police Cell In Maharashtra For Medical Negligence Cases

Maharashtra: The court also said the state must make police officers aware of the existing law about registering offences against medical practitioners.

The Bombay High Court on Friday suggested that the Maharashtra government consider creating a special cell of well-trained police officers to deal with registering FIRs against doctors over complaints of medical negligence. A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni also said the state must make police officers aware of the existing law and Supreme Court rulings about registering offences against medical practitioners, following complaints by friends or relatives of patients. The court was hearing a bunch of public interest litigations (PILs) on management of resources related to COVID-19, and another on rising instances of attacks on doctors by patients' relatives. On Thursday, advocate Rajesh Inamdar, counsel for one of the petitioners, had informed the court that several doctors working in COVID-19 wards had been receiving notices from the police following complaints by relatives of patients who were unhappy with the treatment, or in cases where patients had succumbed to the disease.