Mamata's 2021 leg injury row: Lawyer sends legal notice over medical records disclosure

Kolkata: Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's lawyer has served a legal notice on state-run SSKM Hospital and the Bangur Institute of Neurosciences over the alleged disclosure of her medical records from 2021 without permission, a health department source said on Monday.

The notice was sent amid a fresh political row over Banerjee's leg injury during the 2021 Assembly election campaign in Nandigram.

What is the controversy?

Banerjee's political rival and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari recently claimed that she had faked her leg injury during the campaign.

At a press conference a few days ago, Adhikari displayed a document that he said was a March 11, 2021, report from the Department of Radio Diagnosis at the Bangur Institute of Neurosciences. He claimed the report showed no evidence of a fracture.

Adhikari also said the state government would launch a fresh inquiry into Banerjee's alleged "false claims" about her leg injury during the 2021 Assembly election campaign.
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What does the legal notice say?

Following Adhikari's claims, Banerjee's lawyer Arka Nag emailed the notice to the director and medical superintendent of SSKM Hospital and the head of the neurology department at Bangur Institute of Neurosciences.

The lawyer has sought an explanation as to how Banerjee's medical records reached Adhikari and were subsequently made public.

A copy of the notice was also sent to the principal secretary of the state health department.

The notice refers to statements made by Adhikari on October 3. It argues that even if the medical records were obtained by the state government or an investigating agency through a lawful process, that did not automatically permit their disclosure to the public.
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Questions raised over disclosure

The notice asks whether the medical reports were disclosed pursuant to any court order. If not, it seeks details of what action was taken against those who provided the documents.

It has also sought clarification on whether the reports made public were the original medical records.

What happened during the 2021 campaign?

The controversy dates back to the 2021 West Bengal Assembly election, when Banerjee, then chief minister and the Trinamool Congress candidate from Nandigram, sustained injuries near Birulia Bazar while campaigning.

She subsequently campaigned from a wheelchair, and the nature and extent of her injuries became a major political issue during the election.

After the TMC returned to power, Banerjee was seen walking again.