Dr Payal Tadvi Suicide Case: Discharge Plea filed in special court by two Accused Doctors

The doctors were booked along with another resident doctor after Dr Tadvi allegedly committed suicide after being harassed by the three. The doctors were pursuing a post-graduate medical course in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and had already completed two years out of three years of course at the time of the case.

Previously Medical Dialogues reported that the 26-year-old PG medico Dr Payal Tadvi pursuing MD Gynecology from a well-known BYL Nair Hospital in Mumbai had allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself in her hostel room in May 2019. The doctor was allegedly under depression as three of her senior colleagues allegedly used to harass her with casteist remarks. A complaint was moved by the medico's family and a case against the trio, was registered under section 306 (abetment for suicide) of the Indian penal code (IPC), sections of the SC/ST Atrocities Act, Anti-Ragging Act and Information Technology Act, 2000.

During the case, the HC refused permission from three women doctors to complete their PG courses. The bench stated that they can pursue post-graduation after the trial in the case is complete. However, later the Supreme Court has allowed three accused doctors to go back to the college and hospital to pursue their studies in the postgraduate medical course.

In her plea, one of the doctors claimed that the deceased was facing difficulty in coping with the workload, which might have triggered her to take the drastic step. The plea further affirmed that the doctor was not aware of the caste of the deceased. The Indian Express reports that the plea added, "That there is no averment in the complaint nor the material collected during the course of an investigation disclose that the applicant took active part in the said crime or humiliated the deceased. On the other hand, there is ample evidence to disclose that the deceased Payal was under stress and unable to cope up with the pressure of her work, which ultimately led her to commit suicide." The court has asked Special Public Prosecutor Pradip Gharat to file a reply by April 18.