Hospitals, police refuse to share medico legal case details with protesters injured in detention

After weekend protests and detentions, several protesters reported physical injuries, including swollen fingers, bruises, bleeding heads, and neck wounds. Some alleged beatings with lathis, dragging, slapping, or being stamped on. Police took them to hospitals while they were detained.

The hospital visits served two purposes: treating injuries and recording them through medico-legal cases, or MLCs. Saurabh said he and three others were taken to Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital. Aranya was taken to Lady Hardinge Medical College around 11:30 p.m. Sooraj Elamon went to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital with six other protesters.

The central problem was access to records. Protesters said hospitals documented injuries but did not provide MLC copies or patient summaries. Hospitals directed them to police, while police refused or failed to provide the documents. The hospitals and Delhi Police had not officially explained the denials.

A medico-legal case, or MLC, is a hospital record made when a person’s injuries may matter in a legal investigation. In this article, protesters’ alleged injuries during detention were recorded as MLCs. The record can describe visible injuries and the treatment provided.

An ordinary medical record mainly supports diagnosis and care. An MLC also creates a formal account that may be relevant to police inquiries or later legal proceedings. The article distinguishes the MLC from a case summary: hospitals usually prepare the MLC for the medico-legal process, while patients are supposed to receive a summary highlighting injuries.

The distinction mattered because protesters said hospitals documented their injuries but withheld both documents. The article reports that MLC copies were given to police, while patients had to request them through police. This arrangement left injured people struggling to obtain records about injuries allegedly suffered during detention.

Hospitals usually make three copies of a medico-legal case record. The article states that two copies are given to police, while one copy remains with the hospital. This distribution places police at the center of patients’ access to the formal record.

The patient is supposed to receive a case summary describing the injuries. The patient can also ask police for an MLC copy. In practice, lawyers told The Hindu that unclear legal procedures can force injured people to move between the hospital and police to obtain either document.

That process became contentious after the protests. Saurabh and other protesters said hospital staff documented their injuries but directed them to police for MLC copies. They said police refused to provide them. At Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Sooraj Elamon said two protesters received injury papers, while five others were told those papers had been given by mistake.

An MLC or case summary can provide a time-linked record of injuries after an alleged assault. It may describe bruises, wounds, swelling, or other findings observed by medical staff. That documentation can preserve evidence beyond a person’s spoken account.

The article gives a significant example from the July 20 protest. The Hindu reported that hospital records confirmed pellet-gun usage, even though Delhi Police denied that pellet guns had been used. Medical records therefore became important in comparing the police version with documented clinical findings.

For detained protesters, missing records create a serious problem. Saurabh said doctors documented marks on his thighs and back, but he received neither an MLC copy nor a medical summary. Aranya reportedly had bruises and boot marks on her shirt, yet received no case summary or MLC copy. Without access, injured people may struggle to show what doctors recorded.

Hospitals are responsible for examining injured people, registering an MLC, and documenting injuries. A doctor told The Hindu that the usual protocol is to provide MLC copies to police and give patients a case summary highlighting injuries.

Police normally receive two of the three MLC copies. The patient can ask police for an MLC copy, while the hospital retains one copy. This division means the hospital creates and keeps the medical record, but police control two copies and often become the route for patient access.

The protesters described a breakdown in that process. Saurabh said doctors documented injuries, but the hospital sent him to police and police refused. Sooraj said only two of seven protesters received injury papers, allegedly by mistake. The hospitals and Delhi Police had not officially responded to questions about why records were withheld.

The article says lawyers see grey areas in the law surrounding access to MLCs and case summaries. Hospitals usually prepare the MLC and give copies to police, while patients are supposed to receive a case summary. Patients may also ask police for an MLC copy.

Because responsibility is divided, an injured person may be sent from one institution to the other. A hospital can say the MLC copy is with police. Police can then refuse to provide it, leaving the patient without the formal record. The article does not specify the exact legal provisions creating this uncertainty.

That uncertainty affected protesters treated after detention. Saurabh said the hospital directed him to police, and police refused. A hospital source said staff faced pressure not to share information during protests. The three hospitals and Delhi Police had not officially answered questions about the denied records.

Independent medical documentation supports due process by recording injuries through medical examination rather than relying only on claims by detainees or police. A doctor’s account of visible injuries can help establish what was observed after detention. It can also show whether treatment was sought and what doctors documented.

The article’s pellet-gun example shows the mechanism. Hospital records reportedly confirmed pellet use during the July 20 protest, although Delhi Police denied it. For detained protesters, MLCs and case summaries could similarly record bruises, bleeding, swelling, or other injuries alleged to result from police action.

This protection weakens when patients cannot obtain their records. Saurabh, Aranya, and Sooraj described documented injuries but limited access to papers. The article reports that hospitals and police had not responded officially. Ensuring patients can access medical summaries and MLC information would make the injury record more usable when accounts conflict.