Punjab Newsline, New Delhi, September 9-
The Supreme Court has urged doctors on protest in West Bengal to return to their duties by 5 pm on Tuesday (September 10), and asked the police and the state administration to ensure their safety. The top court, however, has cautioned that the doctors could be liable for disciplinary action if continuous abstention from work continued. In a hearing on Monday, the top court noted that the abstention of doctors for the last 28 days had hit the healthcare system of West Bengal.
Junior doctors of state-run medical institutes, as well as private facilities, launched an indefinite protest against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. Since then, they have boycotted their duties in demand for justice for the victim.
“We know what is happening on the ground, but doctors must now come back to work, they cannot say senior doctors are working so we will not work, we have put everyone on notice,” the top court said.
“We will take the case next week on Tuesday, September 17, let’s see what happens now…CBI is doing it, we don’t want to guide CBI on its investigation,” CJI Chandrachud said. Addressing the concerns of doctors, the top court remarked that if the doctors come back to their duty from tomorrow by 5 PM, no adverse actions will be taken against them by the state government.