Dr Payal Tadvi Suicide : Bombay HC Grants Conditional Bail To Three Accused Doctors

The Bombay High Court on Friday granted conditional bail to all three doctors accused of abetting the suicide of Dr.Payal Tadavi by humiliating her and passing disparaging remarks about her caste.

Justice SS Jadhav allowed the bail application on strict conditions . Firstly, they will have to submit a provisional cash surety of Rs.2 lakh within 8 weeks, they will have to appear before the crime branch every alternate day and finally, they will not be allowed inside the BYL Nair hospital premises during the bail period.

The medical license of all three accused will be under suspension until the trial concludes, added the Court.

Special Public Prosecutor Raja Thakare submitted that prosecution did not have a problem if bail is granted as chargesheet has been filed already and the accused are women.

Hema Ahuja, Bhakti Mehare and Ankita Khandelwal are all in third-year of MD at BYL Nair hospital and they have been in jail for almost 70 days.

"Let them remain in public domain with this stigma and this order", Justice Jadhav said.

Justice Jadhav also questioned the prosecution about Dr.Payal Tadvi's friend Snehal Shinde who had complained of being victimised by the accused, "Why was she victimised if she does not belong to the reserved category?"

Court has also referred the issue of video recording of proceedings to a larger bench. Court said a larger bench will examine the ambit of proceedings under Section 15 of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Previously, another bench of the High Court, while hearing the said bail pleas, had directed the proceedings in the said case to be video recorded as per the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Now the issue will be examined by a larger bench.