Payal Tadvi case: Bombay HC rejects plea by accused doctors to continue studies at Nair Hospital

The Bombay High Court on Friday rejected the prayer of the accused doctors, in connection with Payal Tadvi case, to continue their studies at BYL Nair Hospital.

The Bombay High Court on Friday rejected the plea of the accused doctors, in connection with the Payal Tadvi case, to continue their studies at BYL Nair Hospital. Giving orders to expedite trials, the court, however, said that an appropriate decision on the medical license of the accused, which are currently suspended, will be taken after the completion of the inquiry by the Maharashtra Medical Council.

The court, however, allowed the accused to leave Mumbai for short durations, after taking permission and submitting their travel itinerary to the court and also relaxed the condition for the accused to appear in the office of crime branch on alternate days. Earlier, in 2019 while granting bail to the three accused doctors the court had directed the trio -- Hema Ahuja, Ankita Khandelwal, and Bhakti Mehre to submit a surety of Rs 2 Lakh and appear before the crime branch every alternate day.

The court further directed them not to travel outside Mumbai without permission or go inside the BYL Nair Hospital, where Tadvi had committed suicide. The court had, on July 25, ordered the video recording of the proceedings. The bench, which has now replaced the earlier bench, reviewed the order and asked the state government's assistance on it.

Tadvi, who belonged to the Scheduled Tribe community, ended her life in her hostel room at BYL Nair Hospital here on May 22, allegedly after facing harassment from her seniors due to her caste. The Forensic Department had recovered a suicide note left behind by Tadvi on her phone. The post-mortem examination report of Tadvi's death revealed the evidence of a ligature mark on her neck.

Her family alleged that three of her seniors ragged and hurled casteist abuses at her, forcing her to take the extreme step. The trio was booked under the charges of abetment of suicide and various provisions of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act (ANI)

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