The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday came down heavily on two private hospitals located in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad and the doctors attached to it for allegedly failing to provide timely treatment to a 4-year-old girl who had been raped, leading to her death. A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI), Surya Kant, rebuked the hospitals, saying, “You ignored her because she was poor.”
The enraged bench also told the hospital management to drop ‘doctors’ from their name as they had failed to discharge their duties conscientiously.
Representative image
Girl was raped on March 16, 2026
The top court was hearing the case pertaining to the rape and murder of a girl aged 4, dating back to March 16, 2026 in Ghaziabad. The girl had allegedly been lured by a neighbour from her home on the pretext of buying chocolates.
Her kin began searching for her after she failed to return home. Later, they found her unconscious and lying in a pool of blood. Her family then took her to two private hospitals, both of which allegedly denied her admission. Later, she was taken to the Ghaziabad District Hospital, where the doctors pronounced her dead.
Girl’s father claims timely treatment could have saved her
The girl’s father claimed that the girl was alive even two hours after the sexual assault and that timely medical intervention could have saved her life. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the apex court found substance in his allegations that the hospitals failed to provide timely care.
A visibly infuriated CJI told the hospital doctors, “You have no business of writing ‘doctor’ with your name if you don’t perform your duty.” He added, “If you had sensitivity, you would have gone with the child to another hospital if you didn’t have the facility. You ignored her because she was poor. Couldn’t afford your fee.”
Court imposes penalty on hospitals
The SC, thereafter, directed the hospitals to make voluntary donations to the victim’s family, warning that failure to abide by the directive would attract costs. In the last hearing, CJI Kant had underlined that ‘there is something that goes far beyond compensation that needs fixing-accountability.’
The court has also taken cognisance of the police’s handling in this case. Notably, the girl’s family had reported the matter to the local police immediately after learning about the incident, but instead of taking action, they were allegedly assaulted physically.
However, after an uproar, the cops filed an FIR on March 17 and the accused was arrested on March 18. In another shocking development, it came to pass that the FIR did not mention the POCSO Act or Section 376 (Punishment for rape).
Cops pulled up earlier
In April 2026, the SC, while hearing the case, had pulled up Ghaziabad authorities over their ‘indifference’ and ‘insensitivity’ in the case, summoning the city’s Police Commissioner and the investigating officer with case records.
The top court remarked on Friday, “The most shocking part of the alleged offence is the complete indifference and insensitive approach by two private hospitals, as well as the local police.”