In Brief
A woman died following blood transfusion at a hospital. The doctor involved was charged under Section 304-A IPC (causing death by negligence), but the High Court quashed the charges, citing absence of a post-mortem report. The Supreme Court held that at the charge-framing stage, the High Court should not examine case merits or defence pleas in detail. Since a committee found prima-facie medical negligence, the charges should stand. The judgment reaffirms that premature merits-based scrutiny at charge-quashing stage is improper; such examination belongs to the trial court."
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