'All demands will be considered'; Supreme Court asks doctors on strike to immediately return to work

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has directed the doctors, who are on strike over the rape and murder of the PG doctor in Kolkata, to return to work immediately. The court has asked the doctors to withdraw from the protest until the report of the National Task Force is received.

The hearing began with the court criticizing the failure of the police and the principal. The court also criticized the delay in lodging an FIR. "The doctors at AIIMS have not gone to work for 13 days. Their absence from work cannot be taken lightly," the Chief Justice said. Following that, The court directed them to return to work immediately.

"The National Task Force will consider all the matters requested by the doctors. The NTF has been given three weeks to submit its report." The court suggested that the state government should provide adequate security for the doctors and stated that there should be no security breach. The court also asked that the incident should not be unnecessarily dragged into political controversies.

Serious allegations came out recently, including that Dr Sandeep Ghosh, who was removed from the position of principal after the PG doctor was raped and killed in RG Kar Medical College, sold dead bodies and took bribes. Akhtar Ali, the former deputy superintendent of the college, filed a complaint in this regard. The complaint states that Sandeep earned lakhs through illegal activities in the hospital and a large network was working under his leadership.

By law, medical waste must be transported to approved facilities. Sandeep Ghosh transported this to somewhere else when he was the principal. In 2023, a vigilance complaint was filed against Sandeep Ghosh, but no action was taken. The Bengal government had also announced an investigation against Sandeep in connection with financial irregularities.