Human Rights Panel questions BMC Hospital, Mumbai Police over delay in fake doctor case

Mumbai: Following concerns over the prolonged delay in taking action against an alleged fake doctor at the BMC’s HBT Trauma Hospital in Jogeshwari, the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) has questioned both the hospital administration and the Mumbai Police over the lack of progress in the case.

More than seven months after the alleged irregularities came to light, the hospital’s internal inquiry remains incomplete, no First Information Report (FIR) has been registered, and the Mumbai Police are yet to submit an independent action-taken report despite directions from the Commission.

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The Commission recently adjourned the matter and scheduled the next hearing for August 5 after the hospital administration sought additional time to complete its internal inquiry. The continued delay has raised concerns over the response of civic authorities to allegations that a doctor was appointed without proper verification of the mandatory Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) registration certificate.

According to the news reports, the accused doctor was removed from service after discrepancies in his credentials allegedly came to light. However, despite his removal, no First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against him. The hospital initiated a departmental inquiry in November 2025, but the process remains incomplete even after several months.

The matter reached the Commission after advocate Tushar Bhosale approached the Commission, alleging administrative negligence and seeking accountability from both the hospital authorities and the police.

During the first hearing before the Commission on April 1, the then Medical Superintendent failed to submit the inquiry report and sought more time. At the hearing, Mumbai Police officials informed the Commission that they were awaiting the outcome of the hospital’s internal inquiry before deciding on further legal action.

The Commission, however, observed that the police could not indefinitely depend on a departmental inquiry and directed them to independently examine the complaint and submit an action-taken report.

However, during the next hearing on June 16, the Commission noted that there had been limited progress. The present Medical Superintendent sought further time to complete the inquiry. The Commission allowed the request and directed that copies of the report be shared in advance with the complainant and the police before the next hearing.

Health activist and advocate Rajesh Chavan questioned both the prolonged inquiry and the absence of criminal proceedings.

“Verification of a doctor’s registration with the Maharashtra Medical Council is a basic exercise. It is difficult to understand how such an inquiry has remained pending for over eight months. Every extension sought by the administration only raises further questions about whether there is a genuine effort to fix responsibility,” Chavan said. “If the administration found sufficient grounds to discontinue the doctor’s services, why was an FIR not immediately lodged? An alleged fake doctor entering a public hospital is not merely an administrative lapse; it potentially involves offences under criminal law,” he added, reports Mumbai Mirror.

He also criticised the absence of criminal proceedings, stating that a departmental inquiry and a police investigation were separate legal processes and that one should not delay the other.

The controversy has also brought renewed attention to recruitment and credential verification procedures followed by the BMC. Activists have raised concerns over whether similar lapses could exist elsewhere if mandatory registration checks were overlooked in this case.

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has ordered a fresh verification of the degrees, registrations, and credentials of doctors working across its hospitals following the alleged fake doctor controversy at V.N. Desai Hospital, which triggered a heated debate during the civic body's General Body meeting on Tuesday.

The MSHRC’s next hearing on August 5 is expected to provide further clarity on the status of the departmental inquiry, police action, and accountability measures in the case.

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