New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered setting up a 10-member national task force to make recommendations on prevention of violence and safe working conditions for medical professionals, days after the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor in Kolkata sparked nationwide protests.
The task force will submit its interim report within three weeks and the final report within two months, the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said.
The Supreme Court said the doctors’ panel will frame guidelines for ensuring safety and protection of medical professionals and health care workers across the country.
“Protecting safety of doctors and women doctors is a matter of national interest and principle of equality. The nation cannot await another rape for it to take some steps,” the CJI said.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the case, the top court said this incident raises systematic issue regarding safety of doctor across India.
A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, which had taken cognisance of the incident, said if women are not able to go to work and working conditions are not safe, we are denying them equality.
The Supreme Court also came down heavily on the West Bengal government over delay in filing FIR in the rape-murder case, and asked what were hospital authorities doing.
“It appears crime was detected in early hours, medical college principal tried to pass it off as suicide,” the bench comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra observed.
The bench rapped the Kolkata Police and asked how a mob of thousands entered the RG Kar Medical College.
Members of the national task-force are:
- Surgeon Vice Admiral RK Sarian
- Dr Reddy , Mangaing Director Asian Institute of National Gastrology
- Dr M Srivas, Director AIIMS, Delhi
- Dr Prathima Moorthy, NIMHANS, Bangalore
- Dr Puri, Director, AIIMs, Jodhpur
- Dr Ravat, Managing member of Gangaram Hospital
- Prof Anita Saxena, VC of Pandit BD Sharma College
- Dr Pallavi
- Dr Padma Srivastav
DY Chandrachud said the following shall be the ex-officio members of the national task-force: (a) the cabinet secretary to the GOI; (b) the home secretary of GOI; (c) secretary of ministry of family welfare
The Supreme Court also directed the CBI to submit a status report on the probe into the Kolkata rape-murder case on August 22. The court also asked the West Bengal government to asked to submit its explanation regarding the vandalism at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
