HC grants bail to neurosurgeon in RGHS fraud case

Jaipur: The Rajasthan High Court Thursday granted bail to Jaipur-based neurosurgeon Dr Somdev Bansal, who was arrested in connection with alleged irregularities and forgery under the Rajasthan Govt Health Scheme linked to Nivik Trauma and Multispeciality Hospital in Mansarovar.

Justice Praveer Bhatnagar passed the order while hearing Dr Bansal’s bail plea in a case registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita dealing with cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy.

Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate Madhav Mitra, along with advocates Jaya Mitra and Veerendra Singh, argued that the FIR stemmed from allegations of unwarranted extraction of money during treatment of the complainant’s mother. The defence said there was no allegation of medical negligence and pointed to a medical board inquiry that also found none.

On billing issues, the defence submitted that several consumables were not covered under RGHS and were billed separately. It argued that even if overcharging was assumed, the 2022 RGHS guidelines prescribed departmental penalties, including dis-empanelment, which the hospital had already faced.

The prosecution alleged misuse of the scheme and document tampering for financial gain. The court noted Dr Bansal had been in custody since April 12, had no criminal antecedents, and the offences were triable by a magistrate. Bail was granted on a personal bond of ₹50,000 and two sureties of ₹25,000 each.