The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to interfere with the Gujarat High Court’s order granting regular bail to Ahmedabad-based cardiologist Dr Prashant Vazirani, who is accused in connection with the deaths of two patients following allegedly unnecessary angioplasty procedures.
A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and A S Chandurkar dismissed the Gujarat government’s plea challenging the high court order issued on December 8 last year. The bench observed that the accused was a medical professional and could be kept under monitoring while on bail.
The state government argued that the case was serious, stating that two patients had died due to allegedly unnecessary medical procedures performed by the doctor. However, the court said it had examined the available material and found no reason to interfere with the bail order. During the hearing, the bench also questioned the defence counsel regarding the allegations against the doctor.
Dr Vazirani had carried out angioplasty procedures at Khyati Multispeciality Hospital in Ahmedabad. On November 14, 2024, Vastrapur police registered three FIRs and arrested him in connection with the deaths of two beneficiaries under the Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). Two FIRs were filed based on complaints from the victims’ relatives, while the third was lodged by the Chief District Medical Officer on behalf of the state government.
According to police, the accused allegedly conspired to obtain financial benefits under the PMJAY scheme by performing unnecessary angioplasty and stent placement procedures, which reportedly led to the deaths of Nagarbhai Senma (59) and Mahesh Barot (45), both residents of Mehsana district. Investigators also alleged that the patients were not given proper post-operative care and that no cardiologist was present at the time of their deaths.
The FIRs further claim that the hospital misrepresented the severity of arterial blockage to convince patients to undergo surgery and claim insurance payments under the PMJAY scheme, which provides free health coverage of up to ₹5 lakh annually to eligible beneficiaries.
As per complaints, the hospital had organised a free medical check-up camp in Borisana village of Mehsana district on November 10, 2024. Following the camp, 19 villagers were taken to the Ahmedabad hospital for angiography, after which angioplasty and stent placement were allegedly performed on seven patients on the same day.