New updates have emerged regarding the case surrounding the death of international bodybuilder Varinder Ghumman, who passed away while undergoing treatment at Fortis Escorts Hospital. The family had filed a case accusing the hospital management of gross negligence. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has now delivered its verdict regarding the case of Varinder Ghumman’s death. According to reports, the High Court has issued a stay order on the new medical board constituted by the Punjab government and has sought an explanation regarding the matter. As per the information available, the High Court has directed the Punjab government to submit its response by May 19, 2026.
Bhupinder Singh, a relative of the deceased, had approached the High Court in this regard. In his petition, he questioned the decision to constitute a second medical board despite the existence of a report submitted by a previously constituted board. His counsel, Mehar Sachdeva, argued that the Health Department lacks the authority to constitute a medical board a second time—particularly after the initial board has already completed its investigation.
During the hearing, the Court also raised questions regarding this specific aspect: given that the first medical board—following an examination by seven specialists—had already concluded that there was negligence in the treatment and had fixed responsibility upon the concerned doctors, on what grounds was the new board subsequently constituted? The Court has directed the government to provide a clear explanation regarding this matter. Meanwhile, the counsel representing the State Government accepted the notice and requested additional time to file a response. The Court directed that an advance copy of the response be provided to the petitioner prior to the next hearing.
**The Full Case**
It is pertinent to note that international bodybuilder Varinder Ghumman passed away on October 9, 2025, while undergoing surgery at Fortis Escorts Hospital in Amritsar. His family had leveled allegations of gross negligence against the hospital management. Subsequently, the Amritsar District Administration constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising specialist doctors. In its report, the SIT explicitly stated that Varinder Ghumman’s death was caused by the negligence of the doctors during the surgical procedure performed at the hospital. In this matter, the Amritsar Police registered a case against four senior doctors of Fortis Escorts Hospital under Section 106(1) of the BNS on charges of negligence. The FIR filed by the police names Dr. Tapish Shukla (Orthopedic Surgeon), Dr. Alka Tiwari (Consultant Anesthesiologist), Dr. Rajendra Kaur (Head of the Anesthesia Department), and Dr. Arun Kumar Chopra (Consultant in the Cardiology Department) of Fortis Escorts Hospital.
