In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India has ordered all protesting doctors in West Bengal to return to work by 5 pm on Tuesday, assuring them that no disciplinary action will be taken if they comply. This directive comes in the wake of widespread protests following the gruesome rape and murder of a postgraduate woman doctor at the government-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The protests have severely disrupted healthcare services across the state.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC), the ruling party in West Bengal, has welcomed the Supreme Court’s intervention. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the TMC emphasized the importance of resuming medical services, stating, “People’s lives are at stake, and no cry for help should go unanswered! We welcome the Supreme Court’s timely intervention, urging doctors to resume work by 5 PM tomorrow. The Chief Justice of India’s remarks echoed what Shri @abhishekaitc emphasised: protests, while valid, must not come at the cost of duty.”
Earlier in the day, while hearing the Suo Moto case related to the doctor’s murder, the apex court made it clear that protests cannot be allowed to compromise the essential duty of healthcare providers. The court directed the West Bengal government to take immediate steps to address the concerns of doctors regarding their safety and security.
“The state of West Bengal must take steps to create confidence in the minds of the doctors that their concerns regarding their safety and security are being duly attended to. In order to ensure this, all the district collectors and SPs (superintendents of police) shall take stock of the situation in all government medical colleges and public hospitals and provide adequate safety. We also direct that in the event the doctors return to duty on or before 5 pm (on Tuesday), no adverse disciplinary action should be taken against them. If there is continued abstention of work, there may be a likelihood of adverse action,” the Supreme Court bench stated.
The bench, comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, further emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “Any protest cannot be at the cost of duty. The young doctors must now return and attend to the patients. We know what is happening on the ground. First, return to work. The district collectors and superintendents of police will ensure (your) safety. You have to now return to work.”
The Supreme Court’s order marks a decisive step towards addressing the crisis in West Bengal’s healthcare system. The court’s directive to ensure doctors’ safety and security is crucial to restore confidence in the medical community and ensure the well-being of patients across the state.
