New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday minced no words in criticizing a notification issued by the West Bengal government, according to which the state-run hospitals would avoid allocating night shifts to women doctors, saying that women do not want concessions, but equal opportunities.
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and comprising justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra emphasized that it is the state government’s duty to provide security to the women doctors. The apex court was informed that the notification was issued against the backdrop of the rape-murder of a 31-year-old doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal represented the West Bengal government before the apex court.
The CJI, taking a strong exception to the notification, said the state government must roll back the decision and allow the women doctors to work at par with their male counterparts.
The bench said this direction would prejudice the careers of the women doctors and directed the state to amend the notification.
"How can that be (women doctors cannot work at night)? Women do not want concessions, but equal opportunities... women doctors are willing to work in all conditions. They must work in all conditions... state of West Bengal has to correct it”, said the CJI, adding that women are ready to work in the same shift.
The bench told Sibal to look into the matter and added that the answer to the situation is that the state government must give them security.
"West Bengal should correct the notification, your duty is to provide security, you cannot say that women cannot work at night. Pilots, armed forces etc all work at night, “said the CJI. Sibal contended that the direction in question would be deleted.
The bench stressed that no woman in the country can be told that she cannot work at night. "We cannot tell any woman today in our country, who is in the workforce, that you will not work at night….", said the bench.
Amid nationwide protests over the RG Kar hospital rape-murder incident, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's principal advisor Alapan Bandyopadhyay announced a new initiative to ensure the safety of women doctors.
According to this initiative, women-friendly security personnel would be deployed at all medical colleges and hospitals and arrangements would be made for regular night patrolling by the local police at medical colleges and hospitals.
