Owing to a procedural loophole, Mumbai police may not prosecute senior Nair Hospital doctors Dr Yi Ching Ling and Dr Sneha Shirodkar in the case of Dr Payal Tadvi's death. Days after the charge sheet in the case highlighted that the senior department heads were aware of the harassment Dr Tadvi was being put through, the Crime Branch on Wednesday concluded that there was no evidence to prosecute them.

However, legal experts believe nothing should stop cops from recording statements of witnesses under Section 164 of the CrPC before the magistrate, which can be considered valid evidence against Dr Ching Ling and Dr Shirodkar. Instead of doing this, the crime branch has sent a recommendation letter to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to initiate only a departmental inquiry against Dr Ching Ling (head of the unit) and Dr. Sneha Shirodkar (head of the gynaecology department) and Dr Ramesh Bharmal, dean of Nair Hospital. On August 6, mid-day reported in 'I got no complaint, written or oral, till Dr Tadvi's suicide,' about Dr Ching Ling claiming that neither Dr Tadvi nor her family had made a written complaint or provided any solid evidence of caste-based harassment.