Should justice cost ₹500?

Imagine your child is mistreated at a clinic. You gather the courage to hold the doctor accountable. You find out where to complain — the State Medical Council. And then you hit a wall you never expected: before the regulator will even look at your complaint, you must pay ₹500.

Not as a penalty. Not as a court fee at the end. As the price of being heard.

What it actually takes to complain

To file a misconduct or negligence complaint with the Haryana Medical Council, a patient must submit the form along with a ₹500 demand draft favouring “Registrar, Haryana Medical Council,” payable at Panchkula. Cheques are not accepted. A signed affidavit must be attached. Incomplete applications are not entertained.

India already decided this — the other way

Here is what makes the fee so hard to defend: the rest of India’s justice system has moved in the opposite direction. Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, a patient overcharged or given deficient service can file a case free for claims up to ₹5 lakh. For people below the poverty line, there is no fee at all. Lodging a police FIR is free.

A complaint you cannot afford to file is a right you do not really have.

The principle running through all of these is simple and settled: money should not stand between a citizen and justice. Access to justice is part of the right to life under Article 21; equality before the law is guaranteed by Article 14. A regulator that exists to protect patients should not be the one place that prices them out.

“It stops frivolous complaints.” It doesn’t.

A flat cash barrier cannot tell a frivolous complaint from a genuine one. It only tells a rich complainant from a poor one. ₹500 is nothing to a wealthy person filing a vexatious complaint, and everything to a poor person with a real one. As a filter, it screens by wealth, not by merit — the opposite of what a fair regulator should want. And the tool to deter false complaints already exists in the same form: theaffidavit, sworn under the weight of perjury.

What should change

Until it changes — what you can do now

You can still be heard. Our Complaintstool shows you exactly where your grievance goes and helps you prepare it in your own name. And for money matters like overbilling, the consumer route is free up to ₹5 lakh — start with the National Consumer Helpline on 1915.

Kunwer Sachdev

Founder, doctorrating.in

He built Su-Kam into one of India’s best-known inverter and solar brands, holds 100+ patents, and is building again — now backing ideas that put more power in ordinary people’s hands.

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Disclaimer: Kunwer Sachdev has no association, affiliation, or relationship with Su-Kam Power Systems Ltd. in its current form. He ceased to be the Managing Director and Promoter of Su-Kam following insolvency proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016; the company was acquired by new owners through the NCLT resolution process (2019–2022). He is not responsible or liable for any products, services, warranties, or obligations of Su-Kam Power Systems Ltd. — past, present, or future. This is an opinion piece based on publicly available information as of July 2026 and is not legal advice; fee rules can change, so confirm the current requirement with the council before filing.