Legal Notice Sent to 3 Doctors Over Public Disclosure of Mamata Banerjee’s Medical Report

Arka Kumar Nag, counsel for former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Monday served a legal notice on three senior doctors associated with state-run S.S.K.M. Medical College and Hospital and Bangur Institute of Neurosciences in South Kolkata over the alleged public disclosure of a medical report concerning the former Chief Minister.

The notice was sent to S.S.K.M. Director Dr Manimoy Bandyopadhyay, Bangur Institute Medical Superintendent and Vice-Principal (MSVP) Dr Pijush Kumar Roy, and Head of the Department of Neurology at Bangur Institute Dr Atanu Biswas.

In the two-page notice sent via email, a copy of which was available with IANS, Nag alleged that incomplete and biased details about Mamata Banerjee’s medical condition had been published on the basis of reports that were made public.

The counsel also questioned whether Banerjee’s permission had been obtained before the medical report was disclosed, citing patient-doctor confidentiality.

Nag stated that if the information was disclosed without his client’s consent or without following the due legal process, appropriate action should be initiated against the officials concerned.

The legal notice comes days after West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari alleged that Banerjee had made a false claim about suffering a leg fracture while campaigning in Nandigram during the 2021 Assembly elections.

While speaking to the media on Saturday, Adhikari allegedly referred to a radiodiagnosis report from the Bangur Institute of Neurosciences dated March 11, 2021, which, according to him, stated that there was no sign of a fracture in Banerjee’s limb at the time.

Adhikari also said that a separate investigation into the matter would be initiated after the results of the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly bypolls, scheduled to be held on Tuesday, are declared on October 9.

Trinamool Congress legislator from Beleghata, Kunal Ghosh, has questioned the authenticity of the report and suggested that it could have been doctored. Ghosh, a journalist-turned-politician, said questions over the authenticity of the report were bound to arise given that the present administration in West Bengal is led by the BJP.

Ghosh also posted on social media that doctors and medical institutions generally do not disclose an individual’s personal medical information.

Two days after Ghosh’s post, Banerjee’s counsel served the legal notice on the three doctors, questioning whether any medical documents relating to the former Chief Minister had been provided to the current Chief Minister and, if so, whether proper legal procedures had been followed.

The notice further asked the doctors to ensure that Banerjee’s medical confidentiality was protected and that “misleading information” was not circulated in future.

Banerjee contested the 2021 Assembly elections from Nandigram as a Trinamool Congress candidate and was defeated by Adhikari by a margin of less than 2,000 votes. She subsequently won a bypoll from Bhabanipur in South Kolkata and continued as West Bengal Chief Minister for a third consecutive term.

Banerjee had reportedly sustained injuries while campaigning in Nandigram during the 2021 elections and campaigned with her leg in plaster after being wheelchair-bound.