New Delhi, Jan. 3 (PTI): The Supreme Court today held that even a dentist can apply stitches in emergency cases and upheld the bail granted to Dr Raneef who treated an assailant of a Kerala college teacher whose palm was chopped off for alleged blasphemy against Islam.

A bench of Justices Markandeya Katju and Gyan Sudha Mishra said in a judgment: “The respondent, being a doctor, was under the Hippocratic oath (oath stating obligations and proper conduct of doctors) to attempt to heal a patient. Just as it is the duty of a lawyer to defend an accused, so it is the duty of a doctor to heal. Even a dentist can apply stitches in an emergency....

“Prima facie, we are of the opinion that the only offence that can be levelled against the respondent is that under Section 202 IPC that is, of omitting to give information of the crime to the police, and this offence has also to be proved beyond reasonable doubt. Section 202 is a bailable offence.”

The apex court passed the judgment dismissing Kerala government’s appeal challenging the bail granted to Dr Raneef by the high court as according to the prosecution he was part of the conspiracy and moreover, as a dentist, he is not entitled to apply stitches on one of the assailants.

Raneef, a dentist in Ernakulam district, is accused in crime No.704 of 2010 of Muvattupuzha Police Station for offences under various provisions of the penal code, the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the gruesome palm-chopping case.

On July 4, 2010, seven persons assaulted Prof. T.J. Jacob of Newman College, Thodupuzha, and chopped off his right palm for setting a question paper in the internal examination of BCom which allegedly was blasphemous.

Raneef is said to have treated one of the injured assailants with stitches on the back which he suffered when Jacob’s son had intervened to save his father.