Court dismisses appeal of 'quack' convicted of causing baby's death

Dismissing the appeal of a man convicted of causing the death of a nine-month baby, the Delhi High Court has termed him a "quack" for projecting himself as a doctor and causing the death by his medical negligence.

"Without having either a decree or a qualification or knowledge to do so, he was only a quack... he had committed a fraud upon the victim and by posing himself as a doctor, administered medical care to a nine month old baby knowing fully well that he was not qualified to do so," Justice Indermeet Kaur said while dismissing the appeal filed by Ravinder Ram Chander Banshi.

Banshi was convicted of culpable homicide by a trial court for causing death of the baby and was sentenced to four years jail.

According to police, the baby, suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting, was admitted to convict's clinic in Mahavir Colony here Dec 7, 1997. The court observed that Banshi administered glucose to the child intravenously and the baby died.

It said that "this can be nothing short of medical negligence" while upholding the trial court order

"This act on the part of the appellant (Banshi) was done with the full knowledge that by his act he could have caused the death of the victim," the court said in a recently delivered order.

Pulling up Banshi, the court said: "He did not have the qualification of a doctor yet he projected himself as one."

The convict had played with the life of the victim which has resulted into his death, said the court, observing that "on no count does the impugned judgment call for any interference".

Taking note of serious allegations which stand proved on record and the life of a hapless victim having been lost by the convict's act, the court denied to show leniency in the sentence.