The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Hyderabad, has directed the Citizens Speciality Hospital, Nallagandla, and its consultant neurologist Aparna Vijay Kumar to pay ₹1 crore in compensation to the parents of Surya Pratap Bharati, a 30-year-old Ph.D scholar at the University of Hyderabad who died in 2020.A first-generation scholar from a financially disadvantaged family in Mau district of Uttar Pradesh, Surya suffered a brain stroke on August 17, 2020, and was admitted to Citizens Hospital.According to the complaint, the hospital reported him as COVID-19 positive and advised his transfer to a dedicated COVID facility. He was subsequently shifted to Continental Hospital on August 19, where tests reportedly found him negative for COVID-19. He was declared brain dead and died on August 21. The case was taken up pro bono after his friends approached advocate Rajasri Manche.The Commission, in its order last week, held the hospital and doctor responsible for deficiency in service and awarded ₹1 crore to Surya’s parents. His friends said the legal battle was pursued independently, without any political organisational backing. The legal counsel said this is the largest compensation amount ever awarded by a district consumer forum. Published - September 01, 2026 08:10 pm IST