Court directs police to give 24 hours notice

Mumbai, Mar 8 (UNI) Additional Sessions Judge A Mhaske today disposed of a petition filed by 42 striking doctors, seeking anticipatory bail, with a direction to the police to give a prior notice of 24 hours before registering an offence against them.

Fortytwo of the large number of striking doctors, who have been served with termination notices under the Medical Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA), had filed anticipatory bail applications in the Sessions Court, fearing arrest.

According to defence advocate Raghuraj Deshpande, action under MESMA is non-bailable and hence they have moved the court for anticipatory bail.

The doctors went on strike from February 27 after two of them--Dr Rohan Ainchwar and Dr Meena Parikh of KEM and Bhaba (Bandra) Hospitals respectively--were beaten up by relatives of patients.

UNI ST KD VD HT1902