The junior doctors said they were disappointed with the Supreme Court’s observations during Monday’s hearing and said the cease-work would continue at least till 5pm. They also hoped their demands would be met by then.

The Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud on Monday said the junior doctors “must” return to work by 5pm on Tuesday.

The bench also asked the state government to ensure safe working conditions at the hospitals.

“We are disappointed with the Supreme Court’s observations. The Supreme Court should have dealt with the matter in a more humane manner,” Aniket Mahato, a postgraduate trainee at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital said on Monday afternoon after the Supreme Court hearing.

Later in the evening, Mahato said that the junior doctors had decided in a meeting to continue the cease-work at least till 5pm.

“The decision on whether to end the cease-work or not will be taken at 5pm on Tuesday,” Mahato said. “Let them (the authorities) meet our demands,” he said.

The junior doctors of all government medical colleges in Bengal are on cease-work since August 9 when the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee was found raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Some of the demands of the junior doctors, which have undergone modifications over the course of the month-long cease-work, at present are:

• Identification of all culprits and their arrest. A clear word on the motive of the crime.
• Resignation of Kolkata Police commissioner Vineet Goyal.
• Suspension of former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh (the state health department suspended Ghosh after his arrest on graft charges)
• Ensuring the safety ofdoctors and all healthcare workers.
• End of the reign of fear at medical colleges.

“If the motive behind the crime is not revealed, can anyone say a similar thing will not be repeated after a few days? If more than one person is involved in the crime and only one person is arrested, then the rest are still roaming around freely. Then how are we secure? This is our demand. The CISF’s presence cannot ensure security,” Mahato said.

Late on Monday, after a lengthy meeting, the junior doctors made new demands. They asked for the resignation of the principal secretary of the state health department, the director of medical education and the director of health services. The junior doctors have also planned a march from Salt Lake Karunamoyee to Swasthya Bhavan at noon on Tuesday.

During the day, chief minister Mamata Banerjee also urged the doctors to join work following the Supreme Court hearing.

The junior doctors, still undecided on whether to join work, said in the afternoon that their demands were basic and not difficult for a state government to meet.

“Are our demands not just? If the demands are just, then what is the problem in fulfilling them?” Mahato asked.

“We have put forward some specific demands in response to what happened on August 9. We did not demand that the chief minister must resign taking responsibility for what happened. We have said why should the commissioner of police not resign because of the SIT investigation (by the Kolkata Police)?” said Mahato.

“Installing CCTV cameras, on-call rooms for safety — why will this not be done? Why there will be no resident doctors’ associations and students’ unions in colleges? What tall demands have we placed? If a state government cannot meet these demands, then it is insulting all people who have stood by this movement,” he said.

The junior doctors had pinned their hopes on Monday’s Supreme Court hearing to throw up clarity on the progress in the probe into the rape and murder and the possible motive behind the crime.

The bench led by Chief Justice Chandrachud did not want to discuss the investigation details in the open court on Monday.

A state government official said they would abide by the Supreme Court orders to ensure safety at hospitals.

“We will go through the order and see what exactly the Supreme Court has said. We have already started taking measures to ensure safety at government hospitals,” said the official.