The Delhi High Court will hear the matter on December 16.
| Photo Credit: THE HINDU
The Delhi High Court has given the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the Delhi government’s Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) two weeks to submit a joint inquiry report on the medical qualifications of two doctors accused of mishandling a child during treatment.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna passed the order on October 30 while hearing a contempt petition filed by Sapna Jain on behalf of her minor son, Devarsh Jain, alleging that the authorities had failed to comply with an earlier direction to submit the report.
According to the petition, Devarsh suffered severe brain damage in 2017 after being “mishandled by two unqualified doctors” who allegedly misrepresented themselves as super-specialists while treating him in the neonatal intensive care unit of Fortis Hospital in Shalimar Bagh.
The petition claimed that the child is in a permanent vegetative state and suffers from West syndrome, epilepsy and cerebral palsy. It also stated that he continues to experience severe pain and suffering.
In March 2025, the High Court had sought affidavits clarifying whether the qualifications claimed by the doctors entitled them to practise as specialists in India.
In May 2026, the court directed the NMC Secretary and the DGHS to conduct a joint inquiry into the doctors’ qualifications and submit a report within eight weeks.
The contempt petition alleged that the authorities had neither submitted the report by the July 24 deadline nor sought an extension.
“The NMC, being the statutory regulator, is duty-bound to ensure transparency and accountability,” the petition said. It alleged that the commission’s failure to submit a clear and conclusive report raised serious questions about its fairness and credibility. The DGHS had also failed to discharge its responsibility under the court’s order, it added.
The court posted the matter for further hearing on December 16.
Published – November 01, 2026 10:58 pm IST
