Mumbai: Saifee Hospital in South Mumbai has filed a Rs 125 crore defamation suit in the Bombay High Court against a first-year general surgery trainee, alleging that two of her social media posts damaged the hospital's reputation.
According to the report, trainee doctor Asiya Khan Luqman alleged in the posts that the hospital and its doctors subjected medical trainees to illegal working hours, ragging, torture and mental harassment.
The hospital trust has denied the allegations, calling them false. It claimed the posts were intended to arm-twist the hospital into meeting Luqman's personal demands and divert attention from her alleged misconduct.
"The attempt to characterise the consequences of her own conduct as mental torture or harassment is an effort to evade accountability and shift the focus away from the trainee’s own misconduct," the plea, filed on Sep 3, states, Hindustan Times reported.
According to the report, a single-judge Bench restrained Luqman from posting further content related to the hospital.
Dispute over attendance and conduct
The dispute reportedly arose over allegations concerning Luqman's attendance and conduct after she joined Saifee Hospital in February as a Diplomate of National Board (DNB) general surgery trainee. She was allotted the seat through the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Postgraduate).
The hospital alleged that Luqman took unauthorised leave between March and May, affecting routine operations and patient-care responsibilities. It also alleged that she showed a serious lack of attention to work and an indifferent attitude.
The trust claimed that it issued several warnings to Luqman and reported some incidents concerning her conduct to the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS).
Hospital reports alleged non-compliance
In a June 3 letter to an NBEMS officer, the hospital reported her "continued non-compliance". It alleged that she had not attended to a single patient since May 20, was not found at her workplace during working hours and had not responded to memos seeking an explanation.
Luqman was allowed to raise her grievances at the hospital on June 4. The hospital claimed that she admitted to lapses and misconduct at the workplace.
According to the report, Luqman on July 1 allegedly asked the hospital's medical director to grant her Sundays off. The hospital declined the request, stating that it operates round the clock, including emergency services, and resident trainees are deployed according to institutional and patient-care requirements throughout the week.
Luqman subsequently posted on social media alleging mental harassment by seniors and the hospital management. The hospital rejected the allegations as baseless.
Luqman's advocate defends posts
Presenting Luqman's case, her advocate said, "Raising a grievance against alleged workplace excesses, including duty hours contrary to prescribed norms, and approaching the competent academic and regulatory authorities for redressal does not, in law, amount to defamation."
The advocate said there was a clear distinction between defamation and the constitutionally protected right to freedom of speech and expression when the objective was to seek justice rather than malign an institution.
He added that Luqman did not wish to pursue adversarial litigation and only sought permission to continue and complete her DNB course with dignity.
Luqman suspended from hospital
According to the report, Luqman was subsequently suspended and directed not to enter the hospital premises or contact hospital staff.
Following the order, Luqman posted on X, tagging NBEMS, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the National Medical Commission. She alleged that the hospital had terminated her without valid reasons because she had raised her voice against what she described as injustice.
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