Gujarat High Court allows man who ‘posed as MBBS doctor’ to run critical care hospital to travel abroad for family function
While Assistant Public Prosecutor Hardik Mehta opposed Patel's application, the court considered the submissions made by Patel and “partly allowed” the application.
The applicant was arrested in July 2022 following an FIR after an inspection carried out by the Medical Council of Gujarat and the Health Department at an intensive care hospital. (File Photo)
The Gujarat High Court (HC) recently modified bail conditions to permit foreign travel for Yogesh Patel, accused in a 2022 case of alleged unregistered medical practice by misusing an MBBS degree of another person and posing as an MD Physician to run a critical care hospital in Patan, to attend a ‘housewarming’ ceremony and also “accompany his minor nephew” to Canada.
Justice S J Dave of the Gujarat High Court, in an Interlocutory Application order (IA) dated January 30, considered the submissions made by Patel, through his advocate Pratik Barot, seeking modification of the conditions of the regular bail granted by the Gujarat HC on November 11, 2022. The conditions included surrendering his passport to the lower court and not leaving the limits of Ahmedabad city till the conclusion of the trial. Praying for modification of both the conditions, Patel sought permission to travel abroad to Canada to attend a family event and also take along his 8-year-old nephew to meet his parents.
Patel submitted before the HC that he is “required to attend a house-warming ceremony in Canada in May 2026, at his brother-in-law’s residence” and also to “accompany his brother-in-law’s minor son… aged 8 years, who has been residing and studying with the applicant for the past two years, so that the child may meet his parents.”
While Assistant Public Prosecutor Hardik Mehta opposed Patel’s application, the court considered the submissions made by Patel and “partly allowed” the application. The HC, in the oral order modified the two conditions – surrendering passport and prohibition on leaving Ahmedabad city until the completion of the trial. The order stated, “… the said condition is kept in abeyance till December 31, 2026. Therefore, the Trial Court is directed to handover the passport to the applicant forthwith with a liberty to leave India. On return of his journey, the applicant will surrender the Passport before the Trial Court forthwith. The applicant will produce his itinerary and complete address with the telephone number of his stay in Canada before the Trial Court.”
The applicant was arrested in July 2022 following an FIR after an inspection carried out by the Medical Council of Gujarat and the Health Department at an intensive care hospital– Prasiddh hospital– run by Patel had found that Patel had been misusing a MBBS registration number of another person, while his Registration number of the Medical Council Certificate was also found to be allegedly fabricated. The District Health Officer and Taluka Health Officer had conducted a complete investigation and registered a complaint at the Patan A-Division Police Station under Indian Penal Code Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of a valuable security), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using a forged document as genuine) and 336 (act endangering the life and personal safety of others) and 201 (Causing disappearance of evidence) and Sections 30 & 33 of the Gujarat Medical Practitioners Act, which deal with prohibition of medical practice by unregistered persons.
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
Expertise:
Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:
Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.
Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.
Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).
Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.
Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More
