Home > Journals > Indian Journal of Law and Human Behavior

Indian Journal of Law and Human Behavior

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

In Complex Medical Negligence Lawsuits, to be Indecisive is Decisive! A Critical Analysis & Review

Vivekanshu Verma, Shri Gopal Kabra

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 Law and Human Behavior 11(1):p 55-65, Jan-June 2025. | DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijlhb.2454.7107.11125.5

How Cite This Article:

Shri Gopal Kabra, Vivekanshu Verma. In Complex Medical Negligence Lawsuits, to be Indecisive is Decisive! A Critical Analysis & Review. Indian J Law Hum Behav 2025; 11(1): 55-65.

Timeline

Received : March 11, 2025         Accepted : June 05, 2025          Published : June 25, 2025

Abstract

Medical negligence cases often involve complex medical and legal issues, requiring a delicate balance between judicial interpretation and expert medical opinion. The lack of decisive judgments, particularly in cases like Dr. Suresh Gupta vs Govt. of NCT of Delhi & Anr and Jacob Mathew vs State of Punjab, raises questions about the adequacy of justice delivered. The absence of decisive judgments in complex medical negligence cases undermines the quality of justice and fails to ensure accountability or improve medical standards. A more balanced approach, incorporating expert medical opinion and addressing both legal and medical aspects, is essential for delivering equitable justice.

References

  • 1.   Dr. Suresh Gupta v. Govt. of NCT of Delhi & Anr, (2004) 6 SCC 422.
  • 2.   Jacob Mathew v. State of Punjab, (2005) 6 SCC 1.
  • 3.   V. Krishan Rao v. Nikhil Super Specialty Hospital & Anr, (2010) 5 SCC 513.
  • 4.   Merriam-Webster. Gordian knot. 12th ed. Springfield: Merriam-Webster; 2022 [cited 2026 Mar 3].
  • 5.   Plutarch. The life of Alexander the Great. Dryden J, translator. In: Parallel lives. New York: Modern Library; 2001
  • 6.   . • Dr. Suresh Gupta v. Govt. of NCT of Delhi & Anr, (2004) 6 SCC 422.
  • 7.   Bolam v. Friern Hospital Management Committee, [1957] 1 WLR 582.
  • 8.   Jacob Mathew v. State of Punjab, (2005) 6 SCC 1.
  • 9.   Australian Medical Council. Guidelines for multi-disciplinary reviews in contentious cases. Canberra: AMC; 2021.
  • 10.   V. Krishan Rao v. Nikhil Super Specialty Hospital & Anr, (2010) 5 SCC 513.
  • 11.   Krishnamani MN. Expanding judicial education on medico-legal issues: A model for reform. J Indian Law Inst. 2018;60(2):123-135.
  • 12.   R v. Morrison, 2019 SCC 15 [cited 2026 Mar 3].
  • 13.   Law Commission of India. Report No. 273: Medical Treatment and Protection of Good Samaritans. New Delhi: Government of India; 2017.
  • 14.   Montgomery v. Lanarkshire Health Board, [2015] UKSC 11.
  • 15.   Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579 (1993) [cited 2026 Mar 3].
  • 16.   Federal Rules of Evidence. Rule 702: Testimony by Expert Witnesses [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2026 Mar 3].
  • 17.   Jasanoff S. Science at the bar: law, science, and technology in America. Cambridge (MA): Harvard University Press; 1995.
  • 18.   Kumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael, 526 U.S. 137 (1999) [cited 2026 Mar 3].
  • 19.   Haack S. Trial and error: the Supreme Court’s philosophy of science. Am J Public Health. 2005;95(S1):S66-S73. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2004.044529
  • 20.   NHS Resolution. Early resolution: a framework for resolving concerns and disputes in health and social care [Internet]. London: NHS Resolution; 2025 Feb 23 [cited 2026 Mar 3].
  • 21.   Singapore Medical Council. Ethical code and ethical guidelines. Singapore: SMC; 2020 [cited 2025 Mar 7].
  • 22.   Dute J, Faure MG, Koziol H, editors. No-fault compensation in the health care sector. Vienna: Springer; 2004.
  • 23.   Liljas AE. The Swedish patient insurance system: a model for no-fault compensation. J Law Med Ethics. 2010;38(2):294-307.
  • 24.   Bismark M, Paterson R. No-fault compensation in New Zealand: harmonizing injury compensation, provider accountability, and patient safety. Health Aff (Millwood). 2006;25(1):278-83.
  • 25.   Mello MM, Studdert DM, Brennan TA. The new medical malpractice crisis. N Engl J Med. 2003;348(23):2281-4.
  • 26.   Espersson M. The Swedish patient insurance system: a no-fault model for compensating medical injuries. Eur J Health Law. 2015;22(4):365-80.
  • 27.   Jacob Mathew v. State of Punjab, (2005) 6 SCC 1.
  • 28.   Oliphant K. No-fault compensation in the healthcare sector. In: Koch BA, editor. Medical liability in Europe: a comparison of selected jurisdictions. Berlin: De Gruyter; 2019. p. 567-586.
  • 29.   New Zealand Government. Accident Compensation Act 1974.
  • 30.   Smith J. Understanding accident compensation. 2nd ed. Wellington: Legal Press; 2020.
  • 31.   Oliphant K. The law of torts. 5th ed. Wellington: LexisNexis NZ; 2019.
  • 32.   Lohr S. A.I. is improving healthcare. But can it fix the legal system? The New York Times [Internet]. 2020 Dec 15 [cited 2026 Mar 3].
  • 33.   Smith J, Lee R. Artificial intelligence in legal decision-making: applications and ethical challenges. Harvard J Law Tech. 2020;33(2):567-589. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3765432
  • 34.   Dr. Suresh Gupta v. Govt. of NCT of Delhi & Anr, (2004) 6 SCC 422.
  • 35.   IBM Corporation. Watson Health: transforming healthcare with AI. IBM White Paper [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2025 Mar 7].
  • 36.   Gaddis W. A frolic of his own. New York: Poseidon Press; 1994.

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

Whether 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

Shri Gopal Kabra, Vivekanshu Verma. In Complex Medical Negligence Lawsuits, to be Indecisive is Decisive! A Critical Analysis & Review. Indian J Law Hum Behav 2025; 11(1): 55-65.

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
March 11, 2025 June 05, 2025 June 25, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijlhb.2454.7107.11125.5

Keywords

Medical negligenceExpert opinionJudicial indecisivenessDefensive medicineAccountability

Article Level Metrics

Last Updated

Friday 17 July 2026, 05:39:25 (IST)

807

Accesses

12
233
00

Citations


NA
NA
NA

Download citation


Article Keywords

Keyword Highlighting

Highlight selected keywords in the article text.


Timeline

Received March 11, 2025
Accepted June 05, 2025
Published June 25, 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