Panaji: A fast-track court in Goa has modified the bail conditions of a doctor accused of sexually assaulting a foreign patient admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a private hospital, allowing him to resume his postgraduate medical training at the same institution while the case remains under investigation.
The latest order marks a development in a case that first came to light in 2025 when Goa Police arrested the doctor following allegations made by the family of a foreign national receiving treatment at the hospital.
According to earlier reports, the woman, a Moroccan national, had been admitted to the private hospital for treatment related to a neurological disorder. She was reportedly undergoing plasmapheresis therapy at the time of the alleged incident, which took place on August 31, 2025.
Plasmapheresis is a medical procedure in which plasma is separated and removed from the blood and replaced with other fluids. Healthcare professionals use the therapy in the management of several neurological and autoimmune disorders.
Police said they received a complaint on September 10, 2025, from the patient's sister, a Spanish national. According to the complaint, the doctor allegedly sexually assaulted the patient under the pretext of conducting a neurological sensitivity examination. Reports stated that the patient was in an immobile and vulnerable condition at the time.
Based on the complaint, Goa Police registered a case against the doctor under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to rape, sexual harassment, assault with intent to outrage modesty, assault with intent to disrobe, and acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman.
Following the registration of the case, the accused doctor reportedly left Goa. Police later traced him to the Solapur-Sangli region of Maharashtra and arrested him.
The private hospital subsequently stated that the accused, a postgraduate medical trainee, had been promptly suspended from active duties pending further police investigation. The hospital also said it would extend support to the patient and her family during the legal process. According to reports, the patient continued to receive treatment at the same hospital following the alleged incident.
In October 2025, a North Goa court granted bail to the accused doctor. The court directed him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh along with one local surety of the same amount.
While granting bail, Additional Sessions Judge Vijaya Ambre noted that the victim had returned to Morocco and had not undergone medical or forensic examinations connected to the case. The court also observed that, despite the passage of 24 days since the doctor's arrest, investigators had not recorded statements from either the accused or the victim.
According to the court order, the victim's sister informed the police that the patient was undergoing plasmapheresis sessions and remained in a fragile condition. She reportedly stated that discussing the incident caused the patient considerable stress and that the family did not wish to revisit the matter until her treatment had progressed further.
The court noted that the investigating officer had not completed certain investigative steps, including recording statements from hospital staff and conducting a scene-of-offence panchnama. The judge observed that the victim's absence from India and the lack of medical examination complicated the investigation at that stage of the proceedings.
The court subsequently granted bail to the accused doctor, subject to conditions imposed at the time of his release.
Also see: Sex Education in Schools: Why Six States Including GOA Suspended It
In the latest development, a fast-track court in Panaji relaxed one of the bail conditions and permitted the doctor to return to the same private hospital to continue his postgraduate medical training. The court specified that he could visit the institution only for academic purposes and barred him from returning for any other reason without prior court permission until the case is disposed of.
The court also directed the accused not to contact nurses and doctors named as witnesses in the chargesheet except for professional purposes and restrained him from tampering with documents or evidence linked to the case.
The modification allows the accused to continue his medical education while remaining subject to the ongoing judicial process. The criminal proceedings in the case are still pending, and the allegations against the doctor have not been adjudicated by the trial court.
The court's order relates specifically to the conditions of bail and does not amount to a determination regarding the guilt or innocence of the accused.
The criminal proceedings in the case remain pending before the court.
(Rh/MSM)
