Census duty: HC gives partial relief to hospital staff

Mumbai, Feb 8 (PTI) In a partial relief for the WadiaHospital for Children and Wadia Maternity Hospital in centralMumbai, the Bombay High Court today directed that only ten outof total sixteen staff members would be summoned for the 15thNational Census.

Division bench of Justices P B Majmudar and AmjadSayed was hearing a petition filed by the hospital managementstating that all the 16 staff members, including paramedics,clerks and technicians, have been summoned for Censusduty.

"If the entire staff is working on Census, how willthe hospitals function?" petitioner''s lawyer Mihir Desaiargued.

Advait Sethna, appearing for the central government,opposed the petition stating that the second phase of Censusis to start from tomorrow and there is requirement of 600enumerators.

The court however observed that there was a need tobalance both Census and hospital obligations. "Even hospitalwork is important. Ten staff members from the hospital can besummoned for Census duty," the bench remarked.

The same bench had last week exempted teachersteaching Class 10 and 12 from Census duty.