The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) has approached the Supreme Court, seeking to be included as a party in a suo motu case concerning the rape and murder of a postgraduate medical student at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
The Delhi-based association, which represents over 15,000 doctors, has requested the formation of a committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to develop a framework for the protection of doctors and medical personnel against violence in hospitals and public healthcare facilities.
A bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud is scheduled to hear the suo motu case today, which has gained prominence amid a nationwide doctors’ strike following the tragic incident in Kolkata.
The DMA’s petition, prepared by senior advocate Vijay Hansaria and advocate Sneha Kalita, has suggested that the proposed committee include representatives from the Indian Medical Association, the National Medical Commission, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, a police officer of inspector general rank or above, doctors from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, members of civil society, and other individuals deemed appropriate by the court.
The association has also requested that, pending the committee’s formation and report, the court direct each district’s superintendent of police to conduct threat perception assessments of government hospitals and deploy necessary security forces.
Additionally, the DMA has urged the court to direct the Union of India to develop a distress call alert system for all healthcare institutions, which would provide doctors and medical personnel, particularly women, with a live connection to the nearest police station and hospital security staff.
The petition further calls for the installation of properly functioning CCTV cameras in all government healthcare institutions, with a direct link to a centralized police control room or another appropriate central agency.
Moreover, the DMA has sought a mandate for the filing of an FIR within 24 hours of any violent incidents occurring on or near the premises of healthcare institutions. They have also requested a ban on firearms or other weapons within these facilities and the creation of a compensation distress fund for victims or their families.
The brutal rape and murder of the junior doctor, whose body was discovered with severe injuries in the seminar hall of the hospital’s chest department on August 9, has ignited protests across the country. A civic volunteer was arrested by Kolkata Police in connection with the case the following day.
The Calcutta High Court, on August 13, transferred the investigation from Kolkata Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which commenced its probe on August 14. The transfer was ordered by the high court while hearing petitions, including one filed by the victim’s parents, seeking a court-monitored investigation.
