NAGPUR, India — In a distressing incident at the district court on Saturday, a quick reaction from a judge failed to save a lawyer’s life after he suffered what doctors later confirmed as a sudden cardiac arrest. The lawyer, Talat Iqbal Qureshi, 65, collapsed while waiting for his case to be heard, prompting Judge S B Pawar to intervene directly, first aiding in the evacuation of Qureshi from the courtroom and then personally driving him to the hospital.
The scene unfolded rapidly when Qureshi slumped over in the courtroom on the seventh floor. Witnesses, including former bar association secretary Nitin Deshmukh, described Pawar swiftly descending from his bench to assist the unconscious lawyer. With no immediate medical support available, Deshmukh and court staff worked together to transport Qureshi to Pawar’s SUV, where Deshmukh then accompanied him in the back seat as they rushed to the nearest medical facility.
Despite these heroic efforts, Qureshi was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. Medical personnel confirmed that the cause of death was sudden cardiac arrest. Reflecting on the emergency, Judge Pawar stated the critical need for immediate medical attention in such scenarios, pointing out the absence of on-site medical facilities which could have provided essential oxygen support.
The incident also highlighted concerns about the lack of adequate emergency medical readiness at the court. Advocate Deshmukh echoed this sentiment, noting that although Qureshi responded to CPR for a short period, the delay caused by awaiting external medical help proved costly. “We realized it would be too late if we waited for a medical team, so we took matters into our own hands,” Deshmukh remarked.
Further compounding the tragedy is the fact that this was not Qureshi’s first health scare in court. Kamal Satuja, former president of the district bar association, disclosed that Qureshi had fainted in the same court a month earlier. Following that incident, he was advised to undergo an ECG — a suggestion that may not have been fully heeded.
Satuja expressed grave concern regarding the insufficiency of medical provisions in a courthouse with a daily turnout of 40,000 to 50,000 people. He stressed that having an on-site ambulance could potentially save lives, providing the crucial immediate response needed during medical emergencies.
This incident raises significant questions about the preparedness of public spaces, especially high-traffic areas like courts, to handle sudden health crises. It underscores the importance of immediate access to medical emergency services and facilities, which in this instance, might have led to a different outcome.