High Court notices to PGI doctors over ‘manipulated’ medical certificate

Vijay Arora

Shimla, August 31

The HP High Court has issued notices to the Medical Superintendent, Nehru Hospital, PGI, Chandigarh, and two doctors of the Department of Nephrology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, for issuing “manipulated” medical certificate to a prisoner.

The court passed the order on a petition filed by a prisoner seeking extension of his parole on medical grounds.

During the course of hearing, the counsel for the petitioner placed on record a medical certificate issued by the PGIMER, Chandigarh. According to the said certificate, the petitioner remained admitted to the hospital from August 6 to 10 this year and was recommended leave from September 1 to 15, ostensibly only because his parole was to end on September 1.

Perusing the medical certificate, the Division Bench, comprising Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Ranjan Sharma, observed that “this is clearly evident from the fact that there is no leave suggested from the date of discharge (i.e. August 10 to 31), which prima facie indicated that the certificate had been manipulated by the petitioner and in such circumstances, even the doctors, who issued the certificate, were equally responsible, after-all they could not have anticipated or foreseen that the petitioner would require leave in future, especially for the period mentioned therein”.

Taking a serious note on the matter, the court observed that “these doctors have wrongly, and rather illegally, tried to help the petitioner by issuing such a certificate”.

It directed the doctors to file personal affidavits explaining therein under what circumstances they had issued such a medical certificate. The court then listed the matter for further hearing on September 21. The court also sent a copy of the order, along with a copy of the medical certificate to Prof Vivek Lal, Director, PGIMER, Chandigarh.