Supreme Court Seeks Centre’s Response on PIL for Statutory Rules Governing Criminal Prosecution of Doctors

The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Union government on a PIL seeking statutory rules for the criminal prosecution of doctors in medical negligence cases, in line with the guidelines laid down in Jacob Mathew v. State of Punjab (2005).

The petitioner, Sameeksha Foundation, contends that despite the Court’s directions, no statutory mechanism exists to prevent arbitrary criminal action against medical professionals.

The plea seeks mandatory expert medical opinion before FIR registration and standardized procedures to distinguish gross negligence from errors of judgment.

The Court will examine the matter after receiving the Centre’s response.