The Supreme Court will continue hearing its suo motu cognisance case involving the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on September 9.
A three-judge bench of the court, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, will hear the matter on Monday.
On August 20, the top court constituted a 10-member National Task Force (NTF), headed by Surgeon Vice-Admiral and DG Medical Services (Navy) Arti Sarin, to formulate guidelines to ensure safety, security, and facilities for doctors and healthcare staff in hospitals across India.
The NTF members include D Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman of the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology in Hyderabad; M Srinivas, Director of AIIMS Delhi; Pratima Murthy, Director of NIMHANS Bengaluru; Goverdhan Dutt Puri, Executive Director of AIIMS Jodhpur; Saumitra Rawat of Ganga Ram Hospital; Anita Saxena, Vice-Chancellor of Pandit BD Sharma Medical University in Rohtak; Pallavi Saple, Dean of Grant Medical College in Mumbai; and Padma Srivastava, Chairperson of Neurology at Paras Health in Gurugram.
During its last hearing, the SC bench described the incident as "horrific and horrendous" and attributed it to a systemic failure of state machinery.
The court also expressed serious concern over the death of the doctor and criticised the Kolkata police and state authorities for their inaction in promptly investigating the case and for allowing a mob to vandalise the RG Kar Hospital.
The apex court warned the West Bengal government against using state power against peaceful protesters. "The state must not unleash power on them. Please handle them with sensitivity. This is a moment for national catharsis," the SC bench observed.
The top court said that NTF should look into the safety and wellbeing of medical professionals and other matters related to health care issues. It urged the NTF to develop an action plan to prevent gender-based violence and to create a national plan ensuring dignified working conditions for interns, resident doctors, and non-resident doctors.
The court emphasised the need for a national consensus on the issue.
Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, representing the West Bengal government, informed the court that 37 accused have been arrested and 50 FIRs have been filed.
The CJI noted the lack of safe conditions for doctors, particularly women doctors, and stressed the need for separate rest and duty rooms for male and female doctors. "What is equality under the constitution if women cannot be safe in their workplace?" he asked.
The Supreme Court also took measures to enhance security at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital by assigning it to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
It questioned the conduct of the former principal, Sandip Ghosh, for initially misclassifying the case as a suicide and criticised the delay in FIR registration and police failure to secure the crime scene.
The court also directed the removal of the deceased doctor’s name, photos, and videos from media and social media.
