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Pardeep Kumar Granted as Flags Manipulated Medical Report
Bail Amidst Medical Doubts
The has granted to Pardeep Kumar, accused of and other offences, after expressing grave doubts about the credibility of a that had escalated the charges. Justice N.S. Shekhawat, presiding over the , observed that the medical record and opinion from appeared to have been manipulated.
The Sequence of Events
The case originated from an FIR registered on under multiple sections of the (BNS), including Sections 190, 191(3), 126, 324(5), 333, 351(3), 115 and 109(1) – the last corresponding to (). According to the prosecution, the complainant Pankaj was allegedly assaulted while out for bank work. The initial from , recorded complaints of headache, chest pain, and other symptoms but noted no external marks of fresh injury except a small abrasion on the right knee. Each symptom was accompanied by referrals for further tests.
Subsequently, the complainant was admitted to
. On
, the Medical Officer of that hospital issued a report stating that the complainant had reduced air entry on the right side of the chest, confirmed by HRCT as a right-sided pneumothorax, and that an intercostal tube thoracostomy had been performed. The report described the injury as
"dangerous to life without surgical intervention."
This opinion led to the addition of
(
) to the case.
Court’s Scrutiny of
Justice Shekhawat closely examined the timeline and substance of the medical reports. The stark contrast between the initial , which found no external injuries, and the later opinion from Aarogyam Hospital, which described a life-threatening pneumothorax, raised serious questions. The court stated unequivocally:
"From the report prepared by the Medical Officer, Aarogyam Hospital, Kurukshetra, it is apparent that the medical record in the present case as well as the opinion has been manipulated by the said doctor, who had given the opinion in the present case."
Rather than immediately proceeding against the doctor, the court directed the of , to produce the doctor before the court on the next hearing date, along with the complete medical record of Aarogyam Hospital.
and Further Orders
Noting that the petitioner had been in custody since , Justice Shekhawat ordered his release on pending further investigation into the medical evidence. The bail was granted subject to the furnishing of and to the satisfaction of the , , or concerned. The matter has been adjourned to for the doctor's appearance and scrutiny of the hospital records.
The court’s intervention highlights the critical role of medical evidence in serious criminal charges and the judiciary’s willingness to scrutinize suspicious reports that form the basis of enhanced allegations.
