Later, Pawar drove the lawyer to hospital with a former bar association secretary, Nitin Deshmukh, taking care of an unconscious Qureshi in the SUV’s rear seat.Despite Pawar’s best efforts, the lawyer was declared dead at the hospital near the court. The doctors confirmed sudden cardiac arrest caused Qureshi’s death. “I was hearing another case when I realised Qureshi was in acute pain. It was an emergency and there was no time to wait for a stretcher or ambulance. In such a situation, the victim needs immediate oxygen support which was not possible on the spot,” Pawar said.
‘On-site ambulance could have saved lawyer’s life’
Advocate Deshmukh said with help of court staff, they lifted Qureshi into a chair. “Qureshi was given CPR and he did respond for some time. But we realised it would be late if we waited for a medical team, so we took matters in our own hands,” Deshmukh added.
According to Kamal Satuja, a former district bar association president, Qureshi had fainted in court a month ago. “He had been advised by the judge to get an ECG done but it appears he did not fully recover,” said Satuja.
Satuja expressed concern over lack of medical facilities in the court, which clocks a daily footfall of 40,000 to 50,000. He pointed out an on-site ambulance could have potentially saved Qureshi’s life with timely medical intervention.