Medico-Legal Cases: An Overview

A Medico-Legal Case can be defined as a case of injury or ailment in which investigations by the law-enforcing agencies are essential to fix the responsibility regarding the causation of the injury or ailment. Once the attending doctor decides to treat the case as Medico Legal Case, immediately he is required to inform the jurisdictional police as provided under Section 39 of Criminal Procedure Code, failure to do so, may result in a prosecution under Sections 176 or 202 of Indian Penal Code. Based on the report, police visits the patient to verify details mentioned in Medico-Legal Case. If there is subsequent death of patient or if the relatives wish to take a legal action against the offender, then based on the Medico-Legal Report, a First Information Report is registered under the relevant Indian Penal Code section. Medical practitioners share the responsibility of action against crime by supporting the justice system. The best way for a medical practitioner to achieve this is by proper examination of victims and/or perpetrators, and completing the legal documents meticulously. Medico-legal documentation is more than the compilation of a medico-legal report. Inappropriate completion of medico-legal documentation may necessitate the practitioner having to explain the documentation to make it understandable to the court.