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Pro Bono Victory: District Consumer Commission, Hyderabad Awards ₹1 Crore Compensation for Medical Negligence in Death of 30-Year-Old HCU PhD Scholar
“This legal battle was fought by friends of surya purely on individual capacity without the official involvement or backing of any political organization.”
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HYDERABAD (August 30, 2026) The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Hyderabad, in a landmark judgement, has directed Citizens Speciality Hospital Nallagandala Gachibowli and Consultant Neurologist Dr. Aparna Vijay Kumar to pay ₹1 Crore in compensation to the family of Surya Pratap Bharati. Surya, a 30-year-old PhD scholar from Department of English, University of Hyderabad (HCU), died on 21 August 2020 due to gross medical negligence during the first wave of COVID-19.
Hailing from a remote village in Mau District, Uttar Pradesh, Surya was a first-generation scholar whose parents and family members worked as daily-wage and agricultural laborers. Enduring severe financial hardship without formal education themselves, his parents sacrificed for decades to support his studies, hoping his academic achievements would break generations of poverty and transform their family’s future. At the time of his passing, Surya was on the verge of submitting his doctoral thesis and standing on the threshold of earning his PhD.
On 17 August 2020, Surya suffered a sudden brain stroke and was admitted to Citizens Hospital, Nallagandla, for emergency care as recommended by the University Health Centre. Proper care was withheld, and he was placed in an isolation ward without informing his attendants of his treatment plan or prognosis. Furthermore, the hospital issued a false positive COVID-19 report and instructed his attendants to transfer him to a dedicated COVID-19 facility. Placed on life support, Surya was shifted to Continental Hospital on 19 August 2020, where repeated tests confirmed he was negative for COVID-19. Within hours, he was declared brain dead and passed away on 21 August 2020 as a direct result of critical lapses and deficiencies in medical care at Citizens Hospital.
Recognizing the immense hardship of the impoverished family, Advocate Rajasri Manche (Founder, RJM Law Office, Hyderabad) took up the case entirely pro bono at the request of Surya’s university friends, filing a consumer complaint seeking ₹5 Crores to ensure financial constraints would not deny the family access to justice.
Holding the hospital and treating doctor accountable for severe deficiency in service, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Hyderabad, awarded ₹1 Crore in compensation to the deceased’s parents in its verdict dated 25 August 2026. According to legal counsel, this is the largest compensation amount ever awarded by a district consumer forum.
“Surya was not just a promising young scholar; he was the sole beacon of hope for a family that spent their lives in daily-wage labour to build his future,” stated Advocate Rajasri Manche. “Taking up this case pro bono was vital because justice shouldn’t be a privilege reserved for those who can afford it. This verdict reinforces patient safety, accountability, and the non-negotiable duty of care owed by healthcare institutions.”
His friends from university said “This legal battle was fought by friends of surya purely on individual capacity without the official involvement or backing of any political organization.”
Contact RJM Law Office, Hyderabad)
- Location: Sanathnagar, Hyderabad, Telangana
- Email: enquiry@rjmlaw.in
- Phone: +91 9493609797
