LI Network
Published on: January 31, 2024 at 16:22 IST
The Supreme Court, provided relief to an 84-year-old man, directing a doctor to compensate him with Rs. 2 lakhs in a medical negligence case where the patient lost vision in his left eye due to surgical malpractice.
The elderly patient had filed a consumer complaint against the doctor, seeking compensation for the loss of vision, and had been pursuing the case for over two decades.
After numerous legal proceedings before various consumer forums, the National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (NCDRC) granted compensation to the patient.
However, the patient, claiming not to have received any compensation, appealed to the Supreme Court against the ex-parte order of the NCDRC, contending that the doctor misrepresented facts.
The bench, comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and Sandeep Mehta, observed that the patient had not received any compensation despite the NCDRC’s order and directed the doctor to pay Rs. 2 lakhs with 12% annual interest to the patient within two months. Failure to comply would result in an increased interest rate of 15% per annum.
The Court also imposed a fine of Rs. 50,000 on the doctor for falsely representing that the compensation had been paid, with the fine to be paid to the complainant.
The Supreme Court allowed the civil appeal filed by the patient, modifying the NCDRC’s orders.
Case Details: P.C. JAIN VERSUS DR. R.P. SINGH