Bowing to a Supreme Court directive, resident doctors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Wednesday said they would resume duties on Thursday.
Updated at 7.50 pm
NEW DELHI: Bowing to a Supreme Court directive, resident doctors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Wednesday said they would resume duties on Thursday.
The 18-day-old agitation against the government move to reserve 27 per cent seats in centres of higher education will, however, continue, a spokesman for the Resident Doctors' Association said.
''We will resume duties at 8 am in deference to the Supreme Court directive. Our agitation will, however, continue,'' he said.
A decision on calling off the agitation in other colleges would be taken by students and doctors of these institutions, he added.
Taking serious note of the plight of the patients, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the protesting medicos to call off their strike forthwith assuring that the government will not take punitive action against them.
Observing that the damage done to the patients was 'irretrievable', the court ordered the medicos to 'call off forthwith' all strikes, protests, demonstrations or any form of dissent.
"Whatever Government does is not our concern. Our concern is plight of patients and general public. The emotive issues does not concern us," a vacation bench comprising Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice L S Panta observed when senior advocate L M Singhvi said that the students have no trust on the politicians and they have the trust only with the courts.
The court assured the medicos that it will hear their grievances and asked them to file separate petitions and return to work making it clear that no punitive action will be taken against them.
"In case the strikes are called off we are sure that Government should appropriately consider the feeling of students and will not take any punitive action," the bench said and directed the authorities to recall the doctors whose services have been terminated during the ongoing agitation.
"If, in the meantime, services of any doctor have been terminated for participating in the strike it should be recalled by the Government," the bench said adding that the concerned doctors should be granted three days time to rejoin.
The court asked Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanian to file affidavit on Thursday relating to compliance of its order.
The ASG said the institutions' growth was of paramount importance and doctors will be allowed to add their views on the issue.
On an application moved by the Residents Doctors Association of AIIMS and Maulana Azad Medical College Hospital, the court issued notice to the Centre asking it to respond to various issues including setting up of an independent apolitical commission to consider the grievances of the students that have been raised.
The doctors alleged that they have been systematically befooled by the Government one after another which led the spread of abstaining work agitation.
However, during the hearing which witnessed some tense moments, the court said any action of the government pursuant to the policy of extending 27 per cent quotas to OBCs in institution of higher education will be subject to the outcome of the petitions filed before it on which the Centre has been asked to explain the basis and modalities for implementing it.
"It needs no reiteration ultimately that if the policy (of reservation) is not implemented and if ultimately implemented will be subject to the outcome of the writ petitions filed before it," the bench said.
It also made it clear that if any anciliary issues or any additional points need to be examined at any stage of the hearing it will be open to the concerned parties to make impleadment in the petition.
However, the court cautioned the students from going ahead with any strike or protest for redressal of their demand.
"We find all protest, demonstration, strike that necessarily relates to expression of view or concern by doctors, students and others cannot have two channels for adjudication because the issues are examined by this court," the bench said.
"If strikes and protests are allowed to continue they will yield no result but inconvenience to the general public," the bench said.
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