The Bombay High Court has rejected the pre-arrest bail plea of a senior doctor at Mumbai’s civic-run KEM Hospital, accused of molesting six women junior doctors. The court underscored the need to consider the “emotional and psychological trauma” inflicted on the victims.
The accused, Ravindra Deokar, an additional professor in the department of forensic medicine at KEM Hospital, was alleged to have inappropriately touched the women and made offensive comments. The complainants, working as assistant professors, reportedly refrained from filing complaints earlier due to fear of career repercussions and trauma.
Justice Rajesh Patil, who presided over the matter, remarked that Deokar had misused his influential position over a long period. The court expressed concerns that granting anticipatory bail could result in Deokar seeking revenge against the complainants or repeating his alleged misconduct.
“Eventually, one has to consider the emotional and psychological harm caused to the victims who are pursuing their medical courses. Considering the safety of women in a workplace like a hospital and the moral and legal duty to protect women’s dignity, the present pre-arrest bail application requires to be rejected,” the court observed.
The case has been registered at the Bhoiwada police station. Deokar, who has been suspended following the filing of the case, claimed in his plea that the complaint was motivated by personal grudges and internal hospital politics.
The court also noted the gravity of the situation, highlighting that Deokar was a member of the hospital’s internal committee under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Protection, Prohibition and Redressal) Act. “The allegations are against a doctor who is a member of the POSH committee, and the complaint involves not one but six women,” the court stated.
The bench further pointed out that this is not the first complaint against Deokar, recalling a similar allegation made by another woman doctor in 2021.
While noting that Deokar has been suspended and not terminated, the court observed, “If he succeeds in the proceedings against his suspension, there is a likelihood he will return to the hospital and resume duty.”
