The petitioner, Maaysha Singh, filed a writ petition seeking bail for her mother, Sudha Bharadwaj, who was imprisoned. While the petitioner no longer pressed the request for bail on medical grounds, the court noted that prisoners have a right to their medical records under the constitution. The court ordered the prison authorities to provide all medical records and test reports to prisoners upon request. The court also agreed the petitioner should be allowed phone calls to approved family after hospital visits. The writ petition was then disposed of with these orders regarding access to medical information for prisoners.

1. 1 / 2 29-WP-1958-2021.odt
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
WRIT PETITION NO. 1958 OF 2021
Maaysha Singh D/o. Sudha Bharadwaj … Petitioner
Versus
The State of Maharashtra and another … Respondents
…......
Dr. Yug Mohit Chaudhary alongwith Payoshi Roy for the Petitioner.
Mr. Anil Singh, ASG for the Union of India.
Mr. J.P. Yagnik, APP for the State.
…......
CORAM : S.J. KATHAWALLA AND
SURENDRA P. TAVADE, JJ.
DATED : MAY 21, 2021.
(Vacation Court through video-conferencing)
P.C. :-
1. The above Petition is fled by the Petitioner through her daughter
seeking the following reliefs :
“(i) Enlarge the prisoner, Mrs. Sudha Bharadwaj on bail either on her
Personal Bond, or a low cash or surety bail for the initial period of six months or
till such time as the spread of Covid has been contained in Mumbai.
(ii) Pending hearing and adjudication of this Petition, Mrs. Bharadwaj may
be released on interim bail.
(iii) For such further and other orders and reliefs as the nature and
circumstances of the case may require.”
2. The Learned Advocate appearing for the Petitioner informs the Court
that since the Petitioner has after fling of the above Writ Petition, received medical
Kanchan P Dhuri
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2. 2 / 2 29-WP-1958-2021.odt
treatment, the Petitioner is not pressing the prayer seeking bail on medical grounds.
However, he states that the prison Authorities are not giving the Petitioner her
medical records and she is also not allowed to make a phone call to the approved
family member/s after consultation with the medical ofcer or after any visit to the
hospital.
3. In our view prisoners have a right to obtain their medical records from
the prison Authorities under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. In view thereof,
all the medical records including medicines prescribed and the test reports shall be
provided to the Petitioner on request. In fact, we would go a step further and say that
this direction should be followed by the prison Authorities qua all the prisoners. We
also agree that the Petitioner should be allowed to make a phone call in the presence of
a jail ofcial to the approved family member/s after any of her visits to the hospital.
The above Writ Petition is accordingly disposed of.
( SURENDRA P. TAVADE, J. ) ( S.J. KATHAWALLA, J. )
Kanchan P Dhuri
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