# Maharashtra panel fines Bhatia Hospital for holding newborn over bill 2026-08-07T05:51:49+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Maharashtra State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered Bhatia Hospital in Mumbai to pay about Rs 38,080 to a father after holding his two-day-old newborn for more than nine hours over a billing dispute. The amount includes a refund and nine years of interest. The commission said a patient cannot be detained for an unpaid bill, especially when the bill was lower than the deposit and the father had agreed to pay within 24 hours. The case arose in February 2017, after Rajesh Dharap’s wife delivered twin boys. The hospital said discharge was delayed by insurance queries and rejected cashless approval. The commission partly allowed Dharap’s complaint and found deficiency in service. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: Bhatia Hospital, consumer court, healthcare billing, Maharashtra Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/maharashtra-panel-fines-bhatia-hospital-for-holding-newborn-over-bill/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/maharashtra-panel-fines-bhatia-hospital-for-holding-newborn-over-bill/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.