PT. PARMANAND KATARA vs UNION OF INDIA & ORS.

The Supreme Court held that Article 21 of the Constitution imposes an obligation on the State to preserve life, emphasizing that every doctor has a professional duty to provide immediate medical aid to injured persons. The Court found that the refusal of doctors to attend to an injured scooterist, who later died due to lack of timely medical assistance, constituted a violation of this obligation. The Court directed that all government hospitals must provide immediate medical aid to all injured citizens, irrespective of procedural formalities, and that appropriate compensation should be available in cases of negligence.