Home > Journals > Indian Journal of Legal Medicine

Indian Journal of Legal Medicine

Submit your article Read this Journals View all journals
Full Text (PDF)
Review Article

Good Faith in Medical Practice: Legal Protections and Challenges

Shri Gopal Kabra, Vivekanshu Verma

Author Information

Licence:

Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.

Indian Journal of Legal Medicine 4(1):p 75-86, Jan-June 2025. | DOI: N.A

How Cite This Article:

Kabra SG, Verma V. Good Faith in Medical Practice: Legal Protections and Challenges. Indian Journal of Legal Medicine. 2025;4(1):75-86.

Timeline

Received : December 17, 2025         Accepted : March 06, 2025          Published : June 20, 2025

Abstract

The principle of “good faith” forms the cornerstone of legal exemptions for medical practitioners in India. This paper explores its definition under Indian law, particularly the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the General Clauses Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) of 2023, while examining judicial interpretations and case law. Despite legal provisions protecting actions performed in good faith, challenges persist due to ambiguity, evolving legal frameworks, and public perception. This article discusses these issues, proposes clearer guidelines, and emphasizes balancing accountability and protection for healthcare providers. Through an analysis of statutory provisions, case law, and medical jurisprudence, the paper offers recommendations to enhance the implementation of good faith protections in medical practice.

References

  • 1.   Garner, Bryan A. Black’s Law Dictionary, 11th Ed. Thomson Reuters West. 2019.
  • 2.   Section 52, Indian Penal Code,1860.
  • 3.   Section 88, Indian Penal Code,1860.
  • 4.   Section 92, Indian Penal Code,1860.
  • 5.   Section 3(22), General Clauses Act, 1897,
  • 6.   Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Sections 2(11).
  • 7.   Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Sections 26.
  • 8.   Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Sections 30.
  • 9.   Dr. A.K. Gupta vs. State of U.P., 2018. Supreme(All) 2304.
  • 10.   Kusum Sharma & Ors vs. Batra Hospital & Medical Research Centre, 2010 (3) SCC 480, AIR 2010 Supreme Court 1050, 2010 AIR SCW 1315, 2010 (2) AIR BOM R 644, 2010 (2) AIR KANT HCR 206, (2008) 1 MAD LW 36, (2010) 3 MAD LJ 512, (2010) 4 MAH LJ 541, (2010) 3 MPLJ 290, (2010) 1 RAJ LW 722, (2010) 1 CPR 167, (2010) 1 WLC(SC)CVL 308, (2010) 88 ALLINDCAS 200 (SC), (2010) 1 CLR 452 (SC), (2010) 2 ALL WC 1859, (2010) 2 CALLT 36, (2009) 2 SIM LC 185, (2009) 84 ALLINDCAS 544 (HP), (2010) 2 ANDHLD 89, (2010) 2 RECCIVR 161, (2010) 2 JCR 62 (SC), (2010) 3 ACJ 1444, (2010) 79 ALL LR 921, (2010) 2 SCALE 267, (2010) 2 UC 1156, (2009) 4 CPR 254, (2010) 2 MAD LW 54, (2010) 1 ORISSA LR 884, (2010) 2 TAC 34, (2010) 1 CURCC 211, (2010) 2 CIVILCOURTC 15, (2012) 1 MARRILJ 344, (2010) 1 CPJ 29, 2010 (2) SCC (CRI) 1127, 2010 (3) KCCR SN 90 (SC), (2010) 2 BOM CR 599.
  • 11.   Suresh Gupta vs. Govt. of NCT of Delhi, 2004. AIR 2004 Supreme Court 4091, 2004 AIR SCW 4442, 2004 (6) SCALE 432, 2004 (3) LRI 531, 2004 ALL MR(CRI) 2881, 2004 (5) ACE 1, 2004 CALCRILR 982, 2004 (3) COM LJ 271 SC, 2004 CRI(AP)PR(SC) 561, 2004 (6) SCC 422, 2004 SCC(CRI) 1785, 2004 (7) SRJ 160, (2004) 3 KHCACJ 355 (SC), (2004) 2 CGLJ 273, (2004) 3 COMLJ 271, 2004 CRILR(SC&MP) 674, 2004 (2) UJ (SC) 1357, (2004) 6 JT 238 (SC), (2004) 21 ALLINDCAS 875 (SC), 2004 (4) SLT 940, (2004) 3 RECCRIR 925, (2004) 3 ACJ 1441, (2004) 77 DRJ 235, (2004) 3 EASTCRIC 99, (2004) 3 KER LT 14, (2006) 1 ORISSA LR 447, (2004) 3 PAT LJR 321, (2004) 3 PUN LR 375, (2004) 3 RAJ LW 447, (2004) 3 CURCRIR 69, (2004) 5 SUPREME 604, (2004) 3 ALLCRIR 2279, (2004) 6 SCALE 432, (2004) 2 UC 1105, (2004) 3 CRIMES 149, (2004) 61 CORLA 172, (2004) 3 CPR 84, (2005) 1 GCD 280 (SC), (2004) 3 MPHT 503, (2004) 50 ALLCRIC 257, (2004) 2 CHANDCRIC 271, (2004) 4 ALLCRILR 159, (2004) 2 BOMCR(CRI) 528, (2004) 112 DLT 866, (2004) 2 KER LJ 843, (2004) 20 INDLD 212, (2004) 29 OCR 38, 2004 CHANDLR(CIV&CRI) 1, 2004 (2) ANDHLT(CRI) 739 SC.
  • 12.   Sabiha Hamid vs. Dr. M Khan Hospital, (2021) 6 SCC 766.
  • 13.   Munisankar, Prudvi; Mada, Prashanth; Banka, Lahari. A Review of Landmark Judgments on Medical Negligence. Telangana Journal of IMA 4(1):p 20-22, Jan–Jun 2024.
  • 14.   Universal’s Criminal Manual: LexisNexis, 2024.
  • 15.   Section 106(1) of the BNS 2023,
  • 16.   Gaur, KD. Criminal Manual: New Criminal Major Laws. Whitesmann, 2024.
  • 17.   National Medical Commission (NMC) Act & Rules, 2019.
  • 18.   Garner, Bryan A. Black’s Law Dictionary, 11th Ed. Thomson Reuters West. 2019.
  • 19.   Section 3(22), General Clauses Act, 1897.
  • 20.   The General Clauses Act, 1897 Link last accessed 12-Dec -24. https://www.indiacode. nic.in/bitstream/123456789/2328/1/ 189710.pdf.
  • 21.   Joga Rao SV. Medical negligence liability under the consumer protection act: A review of judicial perspective. Indian J Urol 2009;25:361– 71.
  • 22.   Agrawal A. Medical negligence: Indian legal perspective. Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2016;19:S9–14.
  • 23.   Martin F. D’Souza vs. Mohd. Ishfaq, AIR 2009 SC.
  • 24.   Kusum Sharma & Ors vs. Batra Hospital 2010 Latest Caselaw 128 SC.
  • 25.   Karmveer Kaur Versus Gian Chand Rangwala Memorial Hospital State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission 2024 Available from: https://www.indiankanoon.org/ doc/40226454/.
  • 26.   Jacob Mathew vs. State of Punjab AIR2005SC3180; (2005)6SCC1; 2005CriLJ3710.
  • 27.   Subrahmanyam BV. Jacob Mathew versus state of Punjab, the judgment stipulates the guidelines to be followed before launching a prosecution against a doctor for negligence. J Neurosci Rural Pract 2013;4:99–100.
  • 28.   Gupta H. Bombay Hospital and Medical Research centre versus Asha Jaiswal & Ors. 2021 INSC 801. Available from: https://www. indiankanoon.org/doc/72702383/.
  • 29.   Singh AK. K. C. Vidyarthi Versus The State Of Bihar Through The Director. (Patna High Court) LAWS(PAT)-2016-5-73. Available from: https://www.indiankanoon.org/ doc/94027870/
  • 30.   Vinod Jain V Santokba Durlabhji Memorial Hospital and Anr (Supreme Court) AIR 2019 SUPREME COURT 1143, 2019 (12) SCC 229, 2019 (3) ADR 247, (2019) 198 ALLINDCAS 97 (SC), (2019) 128 CUT LT 299, (2019) 135 ALL LR 305, (2019) 198 ALLINDCAS 97, (2019) 2 ALL WC 1660, (2019) 2 CAL HN 78, (2019) 2 ICC 700, 2019 (2) KCCR SN 120 (SC), (2019) 2 RECCIVR 300, (2019) 3 ACJ 1614, (2019) 3 ANDHLD 17, (2019) 3 SCALE 794, (2019) 4 MPLJ 578, (2019) 6 MAH LJ 818, AIR 2019 SC (CIV) 1525, AIRONLINE 2019 SC 111.
  • 31.   Kakade SK, Miss Sunanda G, Barve versus Dr. Jayant S Barve State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission 2018 Available from: https://www.indiankanoon.org/ doc/55579665/.
  • 32.   Dr. A.K. Gupta vs. State of U.P., 2018. SCC Online SC 1234.
  • 33.   Dineshkumar Mohanlal Shah & Anr. v. Dr. Bharatkumar J Mehta (Child Specialist.) & Ors 2024 LiveLaw (Guj) 133.
  • 34.   Neeraj Sud & Anr. v. Jaswinder Singh (Minor) & Anr., 2024 INSC 825.
  • 35.   Garner, Bryan A. Black’s Law Dictionary, 11th Ed. Thomson Reuters West. 2019.
  • 36.   Neeraj Sud & Anr. v. Jaswinder Singh (Minor) & Anr., 2024 INSC 825.

Data Sharing Statement

There are no additional data available. All raw data and code are available upon request.

Funding

This research received no funding.

Author Contributions

All authors contributed significantly to the work and approve its publication.

Ethics Declaration

This article does not involve any human or animal subjects, and therefore does not require ethics approval.

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude to the patients, their families, and all those who have contributed to this study.

Conflicts of Interest

No conflicts of interest in this work.

About this article

Cite this article

Kabra SG, Verma V. Good Faith in Medical Practice: Legal Protections and Challenges. Indian Journal of Legal Medicine. 2025;4(1):75-86.

Licence:

Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.

Received Accepted Published
December 17, 2025 March 06, 2025 June 20, 2025
DOI: N.A

Keywords

Medical MalpracticeGood FaithMedical PracticeLegal ProtectionsGeneral Clauses ActBharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023Judicial InterpretationsCase LawAccountabilityHealthcare ProvidersMedical Jurisprudence

Article Level Metrics

Last Updated

Friday 31 July 2026, 15:25:59 (IST)

838

Accesses

12
378
00

Citations


NA
NA
NA

Download citation


Article Keywords

Keyword Highlighting

Highlight selected keywords in the article text.


Timeline

Received December 17, 2025
Accepted March 06, 2025
Published June 20, 2025

licence

Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.


Access this article

Reprint Order Form
Buy this Article
Institutional Subscriptions

Share