Supreme Court refuses urgent hearing on plea seeking increased security as Doctors call off the strike

The medicos strike is over. Mamata Banarjee gave them the assurance of more security at Government Hospitals. Their main aim remained unfulfilled. They wanted Supreme Court to hear about increasing the security for doctors. Supreme Court postponed the hearing and said that it would be scheduled after the Summer Vacation.

A vacation bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Surya Kant said it cannot pass an order without looking into all the aspects of the case. “We can’t protect doctors at the cost of other citizens. We have to look at the larger picture. We are not against the protection given to doctors,” it was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Supreme Court to hear plea for security to doctors only after vacation. Says the strike by doctors in West Bengal and elsewhere has been called off and there is no urgency to hear it now. The vacation bench had agreed to list the matter for Tuesday after the counsel appearing for the petitioner, advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, sought an urgent hearing. The plea was filed last Friday in the wake of protests by doctors in West Bengal against the alleged assault on their colleagues by the family of a patient who had died.

Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association also filed an impleadment application seeking the court’s intervention, saying protection needs to be provided to doctors across the country. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gave the ultimatum to either “stop-or-perish”. The mob finally agreed for a meeting at her prescribed location but it should be open. The doctors in her state called off the protest as she agreed to their most of the demands.

Doctors ready to meet at Didi’s venue but only in presence of Media