‘Because she is poor?’: Supreme Court raps hospitals for refusing to admit girl who was raped

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 17, 2026 07:29 PM IST

The bench is monitoring the investigation after the girl’s father, a daily wager, sought a court-monitored probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or the CBI.(File photo)

The Supreme Court on Friday pulled up two private hospitals for alleged negligence in ensuring timely medical care to a four-year-old girl, who was raped and murdered in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad earlier this year.

The comments came from a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. The bench is monitoring the investigation after the girl’s father, a daily wager, sought a court-monitored probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or the CBI.

During the hearing on Friday, the Chief Justice of India said the hospitals must give the girl’s family compensation on their own without waiting for court orders and cautioned that the court will be forced to impose a penalty if they don’t do so. “If you do (it) voluntarily, it will look good,” he said.

The counsel appearing for one of the hospitals said he had already asked the hospital authorities to pay reasonable compensation to the girl’s family. The bench asked him to return with instructions from his client.

Advocate Rajeev Kumar Dubey, appearing for the other hospital, said his client is an Ayurveda practitioner and her clinic does not have emergency services. “I am a BAMS doctor…,” Dubey said on behalf of his client.

The Chief Justice replied, “But you can’t be absolved like this. You may be any doctor. You failed to perform your duty. You have no business to write ‘doctor’ if you don’t perform your duty. A child victim of such a heinous crime is brought before you, and you are so merciless that you don’t even provide primary (care).”

Dubey replied, “We don’t even have emergency services, ICU. Within two minutes, we have referred to the other (hospital).”

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The Chief Justice said, “If you had some sensitivity, you would have said, alright I don’t have facility, I will accompany the child, will take to so and so.”

“And they (the other hospital) acted, of course, (in) the most ruthless manner. We never expected… such kind of people are there. Look at the kind of injuries… And…these people… only because she is a poor child, cannot afford their fee?”

On April 24, the court directed the setting up of an SIT after the father accused local police of insensitivity. He also alleged that although the child was rushed to these hospitals, they did not provide emergency medical care.