Aligarh wrong kidney removal leads to 12-year legal battle, Rs 2 crore compensation
Fourteen years ago, Veer Singh took his mother Shanti Devi to Ashirwad Nursing Home in Aligarh for a routine check-up. That visit set off a chain of events that would cost her life and drag her family through a decade-long legal battle.
In May 2012, Dr Rajeev Lochan operated on 56-year-old Shanti Devi, who was suffering from hydronephrosis—enlargement of the right kidney due to urine buildup. But during surgery, the doctor removed her healthy left kidney instead, leaving the diseased one intact.
Shanti Devi's condition deteriorated rapidly after the operation. She could not pass urine for 24 hours, her body swelled, and she turned pale blue. Dr Lochan discharged her and referred her for dialysis elsewhere. Despite dialysis, her health kept declining. She died on June 18, 2012.
Veer Singh lodged a complaint with the Uttar Pradesh Medical Council, which found Lochan negligent. The case then moved to the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC). For 12 years, Singh traveled from Aligarh to Delhi for hearings, often facing adjournments due to the opposing counsel's absence.
On May 18, 2023, the NCDRC ordered Dr Lochan to pay Rs 2 crore to Shanti Devi's family for “the negligent surgery” and for depriving them of her “company, love and affection.” The commission noted that the loss was irreparable, especially given the nature of the negligence.
“Even after the botched surgery, we were not counting money; we were solely focused on keeping her alive,” said Veer Singh, who works as an LIC agent. “It was my wish to get justice while she was alive.”
The hospital has since closed down, and Dr Lochan’s lawyer did not respond to queries. For the Singh family, the compensation order brings a sense of closure after years of trauma and suffering.
