Due to her role in a criminal case in which she unlawfully recruited and harboured two Indian women as domestic slaves, Dr Harsha Sahni, a rheumatologist from Colonia, New Jersey, has had her medical license permanently revoked. In February 2024, Sahni entered a guilty plea to federal charges of filing a fraudulent tax return and conspiring to conceal and harbour aliens. In October 2024, she received a sentence of 27 months in federal prison, which she will soon start serving.
After an inquiry showed that Dr. Sahni exploited these women, who were in the United States illegally, by making them work as housekeepers for far less money than what would have been allowed, the matter came to light. A climate of fear and deception was allegedly fostered by the women’s being warned that contacting law enforcement would result in their arrest and deportation. Sahni employed them as cheap labour for her personal financial gain in addition to giving them food, clothing, and shelter. Even though the women worked in the home, Sahni failed to report their employment on her personal income tax return or pay labor-related taxes.
One of the women (victim 1) was especially exploited; she worked long hours (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.) for as little as $240 to $600 per month, which she sent to her family in India. Additionally, Sahni gave the women instructions to give immigration officials a bogus story about themselves, claiming that they were members of her family travelling to the United States on vacation.
Sahni’s medical licence was first suspended in September 2023 while the State of New Jersey pursued steps to cancel it due to her behavior. The final decision to permanently revoke her license was made public on January 8, 2025, guaranteeing that she would no longer be able to practice medicine in the state. Sahni’s acts were denounced by Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs, who emphasized that such criminal behavior is incompatible with the norms of care, compassion, and ethics that are expected of the medical profession. In order to safeguard the public from the harm she could inflict as a medical practitioner, her license was permanently revoked. The story serves as a reminder of how crucial it is to maintain ethical standards in all vocations, but especially in the medical industry.
SOURCE :
THE HINDU
