SC directs Sir Ganga Ram Hospital to provide full treatment to Delhi acid attack survivor

What exactly did the Supreme Court order Sir Ganga Ram Hospital to do for the acid attack survivor?

The Supreme Court ordered Sir Ganga Ram Hospital to continue treating the acid attack survivor as an indoor patient. It must provide medicines, plastic surgery, and any other necessary treatment, without limiting care because of the cost. This matters because the hospital had reportedly asked her family to prepare for discharge and seek another facility.

The bench directed the hospital to keep treating her until she is fit to leave. It also ordered the hospital to forward the bill to the court. The survivor’s injuries were serious: both eyes were damaged, and the application said that only first-aid dressings had initially been provided after her transfer to the hospital.

The order creates an immediate safeguard for this patient. She must remain until she needs only outdoor treatment. It also reinforces the legal duty cited in the case, which requires hospitals to provide acid attack victims free medical treatment. The ruling may help ensure that treatment is not interrupted by cost or referral disputes.

What is Section 397 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and what protection does it give acid attack victims?

Section 397 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, is the legal protection cited in Shaheen Malik’s application. It says hospitals must immediately provide first-aid medical treatment to acid attack victims without charging them. The provision matters because urgent care cannot lawfully be withheld while a victim searches for a suitable or affordable hospital.

The article describes the section’s wording as applying to hospitals run by the Central or state governments, local bodies, or any other person. That includes private hospitals. In this case, Malik argued that the survivor was entitled to free treatment even at a leading private hospital, rather than being sent elsewhere simply because the care could be costly.

Section 397, as described here, specifically guarantees immediate first aid. The Supreme Court’s order went further for this survivor by requiring continuing treatment, medicines, and plastic surgery until discharge was medically appropriate. The case therefore shows both the provision’s immediate protection and the Court’s practical enforcement of care.

How broad is this legal duty: does it apply only to government hospitals, or to private hospitals as well?

The legal duty described in the article extends beyond government hospitals. Section 397 covers hospitals operated by the Central government, state governments, local bodies, or any other person. The final category includes private hospitals, so a victim’s right to immediate free first aid does not disappear when she enters a private facility.

That issue was central to this case. Shaheen Malik said the survivor was entitled to free medical treatment under the law, but leading private hospitals in Delhi were refusing to provide it. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital reportedly wanted to refer her to a government hospital because it lacked a dedicated burn ward. Malik also contacted Apollo Hospital and received a similar response.

The Supreme Court responded directly by ordering Sir Ganga Ram Hospital to provide comprehensive care, regardless of cost. Section 397’s stated minimum is immediate first aid, while the Court’s order required ongoing treatment for this patient. The case highlights the importance of enforcing the same legal protection across public and private facilities.

Why did the hospital initially want to refer the survivor to another hospital, and what treatment did she still need?

Sir Ganga Ram Hospital initially wanted the survivor to leave because it did not have a dedicated burn ward. Her family was asked to prepare for discharge and approach another hospital that could provide the required treatment. The hospital had reportedly told her to move to a government facility, creating a dispute over whether referral could replace free care.

The survivor still needed more than basic attention. Shaheen Malik told the Court that both of her eyes were damaged. The application said that, after her admission, she received first-aid dressings but no substantive medical treatment, despite the urgent and serious nature of her injuries. The Supreme Court specifically ordered medicines, plastic surgery, and any other necessary treatment.

The Court did not require the survivor to find another facility immediately. Instead, it ordered Sir Ganga Ram Hospital to keep her admitted until she could safely receive only outdoor treatment. The hospital must send the bill to the Court, removing cost as a reason to interrupt her care.

Who is Shaheen Malik, and how did her organisation help bring this case before the Supreme Court?

Shaheen Malik is an acid attack survivor and the person who urgently brought this treatment dispute before the Supreme Court. She leads or works through the Brave Souls Foundation, an organisation focused on the rehabilitation and welfare of acid attack victims. Her own experience and advocacy placed the survivor’s hospital access problem before the Court.

Malik told the Court that the survivor had been attacked in Delhi’s Bhajanpura area on October 6. She said the victim was being denied free treatment despite legal entitlement. After Sir Ganga Ram Hospital asked the family to prepare for discharge, Malik contacted Apollo Hospital and received a similar response. She then filed an application and appealed to the Chief Justice of India for an urgent hearing.

The bench headed by CJI Surya Kant took up the matter on urgent mention. It called the application’s facts alarming and directed the Registry to list it with Malik’s pending matter concerning acid attack victims. Her intervention led directly to the order securing continued treatment.

What happens because of the Court’s order if the survivor needs expensive medicines, plastic surgery, or prolonged hospital care?

The Court’s order means treatment cannot be stopped because medicines, surgery, or hospital care are expensive. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital must keep the survivor as an indoor patient and provide all facilities needed for her recovery. This includes medicines, plastic surgery, and any other treatment the medical situation requires.

The order uses unusually clear financial instructions. It says care must be provided irrespective of the cost, and it directs the hospital to forward the bill to the Court. The survivor therefore does not have to pay the bill or leave because the hospital lacks a dedicated burn ward. The Court also said she cannot be discharged until she is fit to need only outdoor treatment.

In practical terms, care continues until the medical threshold set by the Court is met. The order protects the survivor from both financial barriers and premature discharge. It also gives effect to the legal protection discussed in the application, which requires free immediate treatment for acid attack victims at public and private hospitals.

Why can acid attacks require more than first aid, including repeated surgery and long-term rehabilitation?

Acid attacks can cause serious damage that first aid alone cannot address. The article records that both of this survivor’s eyes were damaged and that the Supreme Court ordered plastic surgery, medicines, and other treatment. Such injuries can require continuing medical care because the initial emergency response does not restore damaged tissue or eyesight. Repeated surgery and rehabilitation are established medical possibilities; the article itself specifically confirms plastic surgery and ongoing care.

The case offers a concrete example. After leaving GTB Hospital, the survivor reached Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on October 8. The application said she waited nearly three hours for emergency admission and received only first-aid dressings, without substantive treatment. The Court therefore required inpatient care until she was fit for outdoor treatment.

Long-term rehabilitation also matters because recovery may continue after hospital discharge. The article identifies Brave Souls Foundation as working for victims’ rehabilitation and welfare. It does not detail the survivor’s rehabilitation plan, but the Court’s order ensures that immediate medical care is not cut short while further support remains necessary.

Key Facts:

📌 Sir Ganga Ram Hospital must provide full treatment regardless of cost.

📌 Treatment includes medicines, plastic surgery, and other necessary care.

📌 The survivor cannot be discharged until fit for outdoor treatment.

📌 Section 397 is part of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

📌 It requires immediate, free first-aid treatment for acid attack victims.

📌 The application cited Section 397 to challenge denial of treatment.

📌 Section 397 covers hospitals run by governments, local bodies, or private persons.