SC urges protesting Bengal doctors to resume work, states concerns over duty.
The Supreme Court hearing the West Bengal doctors’ protest case urged the striking medicos to resume work by 5 pm on Tuesday.
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud commented that protests cannot continue indefinitely at the cost of their duty to patients.
He said if doctors report back by the deadline, no punitive action will be taken. Their safety concerns will also be promptly addressed.
However, continuous abstention from work may lead the state to initiate disciplinary proceedings against them, the CJI observed. He stressed that doctors cannot ignore the community’s general needs which they are intended to serve.
The CJI also directed district authorities to ensure necessary security arrangements for doctors’ well-being are made urgently.
This includes creating separate restrooms for male and female doctors and installing CCTVs, he added, calling for confidence-building measures from the Bengal government.
The apex court is hearing the matter suo moto in light of the RG Kar hospital assault that sparked the ongoing protest.
