Junior doctors of several government medical colleges and hospitals said they are unhappy as the Supreme Court pushed back the date of the next hearing of the suo-moto case it had started following the rape and murder of the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to September 30.
On Monday, a bench comprising Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice J.B. Pardiwala was requested by the standing counsel for the Bengal government that the suo moto case listed for hearing on September 27 be heard later.
The court allowed the request and said it would be heard on September 30.
Aniket Mahato, a postgraduate trainee at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital who emerged as one of the faces of the junior doctor’s protests, said that they were disappointed as not only the junior doctors but people from across the state are expecting a speedy probe and trial into the incident.
“We strongly condemn the state government’s effort to put forward a plea through the state counsel to push the date back. Justice delayed is justice denied. We have faith in the Supreme Court. Not only us — the junior doctors — but the people of the entire state were looking forward to the hearing on September 27. Now we have no other option but to wait for three more days,” said Mahato.
The West Bengal Junior Doctors Front (WBJDF) is also going to submit its requirements for a safe campus to the Supreme Court when the bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud hears the case.
The junior doctors were on a 42-day cease-work since August 9, which was partially withdrawn on Saturday.
Another junior doctor who was part of the protest said she was “disappointed as the date of hearing has been pushed back.”
“We were all waiting for the hearing. Our legal team was likely to submit several key things at the court. We have resumed work at essential services as we respect the Supreme Court and have faith in it and we joined as part of a goodwill measure as the state government assured us of actions that it would take to make us feel safe in our workplaces. These, however, are only assurances and it seems a bit suspicious why the state government put forth a petition to delay the hearing,” the doctor said.
The junior doctors had said they would return to a complete cease-work in case their demands were not fulfiled and the state government did not implement the measures within seven days when they announced that they would resume essential services at hospitals and medical colleges on Friday.
Bengal’s chief secretary Manoj Pant had issued a set of directives in a letter to the health secretary to implement these measures.