A high court vacation bench on Tuesday issued an interim stay on the “punitive” action announced by the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital authorities against 51 junior doctors and students because of their alleged involvement in a “threat culture” on the campus.

Hearing a petition by those who had been penalised, Justice Kaushik Chanda held that the principal of the medical college took the decision merely on the recommendation of an inquiry committee.

He remarked during the hearing: “The principal should have obtained approval from the health department before taking any action against the accused.”

On Monday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had expressed her disapproval of such stringent action that medical college authorities had taken bypassing the health department.

During a meeting with junior doctors and the principals of five government medical colleges in Calcutta, she said: “The principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital is present here. You have suspended 47 students. However, you did not inform us about this. You should have sent the recommendations first to the health department and the health department should have consulted me. You sent the recommendations to the university (West Bengal University of Health Science).”

“Is this not ‘threat culture’? I will request the principals to let us know before suspending someone. I do not want to destroy the academic future of a student.”

The RG Kar authorities had on September 11 barred 51 junior doctors and students from entering the campus and formed a committee to probe allegations of intimidation after the protesting resident doctors alleged that these doctors and students were promoting a “threat culture” on the campus.

On October 5, a meeting of the special college council decided to expel 10 of the accused from the institute till further orders.

Among the 51 junior doctors and students, the council decided to bar some from the campus for six months to a year, depending on their alleged misconduct. Some were let go with a warning.

Six junior doctors who had been punished moved the vacation bench on Tuesday to challenge the order.

Appearing for the petitioners, advocate Arkaprava Sen said: “My clients were not involved in any threat culture. They have been falsely implicated. So this decision by the college authorities should be revoked.”

The judge fixed the matter for hearing again on November 11 and said no action could be taken until the state health department approves the
decision.

Aniket Mahata, a junior doctor and a prominent face of the medics’ protest, had described these 51 doctors and students as “notorious criminals” to the chief minister.

On Tuesday, he stuck to what he said: “The college authorities were justified in taking action against them. They perpetrated a threat culture. We are exploring legal ways to challenge Tuesday’s order.”

While Mahata branded these 51 as “notorious criminals”, the chief minister insisted that a measure like suspension should go through a more stringent vetting process.

Calls from The Telegraph to RG Kar principal Manas Banerjee went unanswered.

Banerjee’s predecessor Sandip Ghosh, on whose watch a 31-year-old doctor was raped and murdered on August 9 and who has since been arrested by the CBI, stands accused of shielding those who promoted the threat culture.