Karnataka HC orders crackdown on clinics run by unqualified 'doctors'
Bengaluru, Apr 16 (PTI): The Karnataka High Court has issued a strong directive to the state government, calling for immediate action against clinics operated by "unqualified individuals" posing as doctors.
Justice M Nagaprasanna, presiding over the case, criticised the "unchecked proliferation" of such clinics, particularly in rural areas, stating that they pose a serious threat to public health.
"These quacks, masquerading as doctors, are putting innocent rural lives at risk by running clinics in remote regions and deceiving patients," the court observed.
Justice Nagaprasanna also expressed disbelief at the state’s apparent inaction in curbing the rise of such illegal practices, describing it as "blissful ignorance".
The court directed the Registry to forward its order to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Family Welfare, instructing the department to identify and shut down clinics managed by "unqualified individuals".
It also mandated the submission of an action-taken report to the court.
The directive came in response to a petition filed by A A Muralidharswamy, who had sought the registration of his clinic under the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Act, 2007. However, Muralidharswamy holds only an SSLC (Class 10) qualification and failed to present any legitimate medical credentials during the hearing.
Although he claimed to be "qualified to practice alternative medicine" and submitted a certificate from the Indian Board of Alternative Medicine, the court found the certificate unconvincing and lacking proof of medical expertise.
He also held a Diploma in Community Medical Services with Essential Drugs, based on which he had been running ‘Sri Lakshmi Clinic’ in Mandya district for several years.
Upon reviewing the details, the bench noted that Muralidharswamy was the sole operator, administrator, and staff member of the clinic. When questioned, his counsel admitted that he had no formal education in any recognised system of medicine—be it Allopathy, Ayurveda, or Unani.
Calling the petitioner’s claim of being a doctor "plain and simple misrepresentation", the court concluded that his educational background did not entitle him to register under the state’s medical regulations. As such, the petition was dismissed.
The court emphasised that any clinic run by individuals without recognised medical qualifications must be shut down in accordance with the law.
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High courts upheld only 8 per cent of death sentences; SC confirms none in recent years: Report
New Delhi (PTI): Highlighting that a high acquittal rate of death row convicts by the Supreme Court and high courts demonstrates a pattern of "erroneous or unjustified convictions", a study of 10 years of death penalty data has revealed that the top court did not confirm any death sentences in recent years.
The study by Square Circle Clinic, a criminal laws advocacy group with the NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad, found that an overwhelming majority of death sentences imposed by trial courts did not withstand scrutiny at higher judicial levels. Acquittals far outnumbered confirmations at both the high courts and Supreme Court levels.
According to the report, the trial courts across India awarded 1,310 death sentences in 822 cases between 2016 and 2025. High courts considered 842 of these sentences in confirmation proceedings but upheld only 70 or 8.31 per cent.
In contrast, 258 death sentences (30.64 per cent) resulted in acquittals. The study noted that the acquittal rate at the high court level was nearly four times the confirmation rate.
Data showed that of the 70 death sentences confirmed by high courts, the Supreme Court decided 38 and did not uphold a single one. The apex court has confirmed no death sentences between 2023 and 2025.
"Wrongful or erroneous or unjustified convictions, then, are not random or freak accidents in the Indian criminal justice system. The data indicates they are a persistent and serious systemic concern," the report said.
Over the last decade, high courts adjudicated 1,085 death sentences in 647 cases, confirming only 106 (9.77 per cent). During this period, 326 persons in 191 cases, were acquitted.
The report attributed low confirmation rates to the appellate judiciary’s concerns regarding failures in due process. "This coincides with increased Supreme Court scrutiny of safeguards at the sentencing stage," the report said.
Of the 153 death sentences decided by the apex court over the last decade, the accused were acquitted in 38 cases. In 2025 alone, high courts overturned death sentences into acquittals in 22 out of 85 cases (over 25 per cent). The same year, Supreme Court acquitted accused persons in more than half of the death penalty cases it decided (10 out of 19), the report said.
The study highlighted that 364 persons who were ultimately acquitted "should not even have been convicted and unjustifiably suffered the trauma of death row". It added that such failures extend beyond adjudication and reflect serious lapses in investigation and prosecution.
The question of remedies for wrongful convictions remains pending before the Supreme Court. In September 2025, three persons acquitted by the apex court filed writ petitions seeking compensation from the state and argued that their wrongful convictions violated their fundamental right to life and liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.
"In 2022, the Supreme Court crystallised a sentencing process in Manoj v. State of Madhya Pradesh , and mandated all courts to follow those guidelines before imposing or confirming a death sentence," the report read.
In 2025, the apex court held in Vasanta Sampat Dupare v. Union of India that death penalty sentencing hearings form part of the right to a fair trial and stressed that capital punishment can be imposed only after a constitutionally compliant sentencing process.
"However, even at the high courts whether the process mandated under Manoj is being complied with is in doubt,” the report said.
