Striking medicos continue stir

New Delhi, May 31 (UNI) Despite threats of termination from government and undeterred by the Supreme Court warning to resume work, medicos today continued agitating against the 27 per cent OBC quota in centres of higher education.

''We are yet to receive a copy of the judgement. As of now, our agitation is on,'' Dr Binod Patra of the Youth for Equality, the group spearheading the protest, said.

The striking medicos had decided to go ahead with their strike after nearly six-hour long discussion and consultations with legal experts at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences early today.

Students at the forefront of the agitation here, however, said they would meet again later in the day in view of the Supreme Court's fresh directive to immediately call off the strike.

Earlier today, the Supreme Court directed the striking medicos to call off their strike and to restore health services immediately.

A vacatinon bench comprising Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat and Mr Lokeswar Singh Panta also directed that the state should not take any punitive action against any doctor for participating in the strike.

The court also gave three days time to any doctor whose services have been terminated during the strike to rejoin and in that case the order of termination order will automatically be recalled.

The court also said that any action taken by the government for implementation of reservation to the OBCs in admission to educational institutions shall be subject to outcome of the pending writ petition.

While observing that right of a patient for medical treatment is inseparable from right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of constitution, the court asked the Centre to submit a compliance report of today's order tomorrow.

The court also directed the Registry to send the copies of the order to all the states and union territories for immediate compliance of the order so that the protests, demonstrations by the students cease immediately throughout the country.

Today's order came on a joint application filed by Resident Doctors Association of AIIMS and Maulana Azad Medical College.

The court also issued notices to the Centre directing it to file its reply within the time granted to it for filing counter to the main writ petition (eight weeks).

Earlier, the court told senior counsel L M Singhvi that the court was not impressed by emotive arguments that doctors were ready to commit suicide and were ready to face termination, as presently it was concerned only with the plight of the patients.

Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanyam, appearing for the Centre, assured the court the issue of quality of education is going to be considered and doctrine of exclusion of creamy layer from the benefit of reservations shall also be duly deliberated and the government will not abandon its duty to uphold the constitution of the country.

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