Kolkata medic's rape-murder: Healthcare services crippled across Bengal as doctors continue stir
Kolkata- (PTI): Healthcare services remained affected at state-run hospitals in West Bengal on Wednesday, as junior doctors continued their ceasework for the 13th consecutive day to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee at RG Kar hospital here.
Senior doctors have been asked to report for duty in place of the junior medics at several hospitals, even as the state government urged the protestors again to resume work, officials said.
"Our stir will continue until we ensure justice for our sister. We understand that patients are facing problems, but our demands are justified," a junior doctor told PTI.
The trainee doctor's body with severe injury marks was found inside the seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital’s chest department on August 9.
Services at outpatient departments and non-emergency units were crippled, as long queues of patients were seen outside ticket counters of state-run hospitals.
"We are not issuing tickets until there is confirmation that doctors concerned are present on duty. There is a huge number of patients coming for treatment at the hospital every morning, but doctors are a handful," a senior medic at the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital told PTI.
Some doctors have rescheduled surgeries owing to the absence of the junior medics, he said.
The protesting doctors are scheduled to hold a rally in Kolkata during the day to press for speedy justice for the deceased trainee.
The Supreme Court, too, had on Tuesday requested doctors protesting across the country to call off their strike and resume work
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SC to hear on May 4 PIL seeking stringent guidelines for issuing Aadhaar to adolescents, adults
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea seeking a direction to the Unique Identification Authority of India to issue new Aadhaar cards only to citizens up to the age of six years, and frame stringent guidelines for its issuance to adolescents and adults to stop infiltrators from masquerading as Indian citizens.
As per the apex court's causelist of May 4, the plea would come up for hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay has also sought a direction to the authorities to install display boards at common service centres stating that the 12-digit unique identification number is only a "proof of identity" and not a proof of citizenship, address or date of birth.
Besides all the states and Union Territories, the plea has made the UIDAI -- which is the authority that issues Aadhaar -- and the Union ministries of home, law and justice, and electronics and information technology as parties.
The plea, filed through advocate Ashwani Dubey, said Aadhaar, originally intended as a proof of identity, has increasingly become a "foundational document" enabling individuals to obtain other identification documents, such as ration cards, domicile certificates and voter identity cards.
"The UIDAI has issued 144 crore Aadhaar and 99 percent Indians have been enrolled. Therefore, the petitioner is filing this writ petition as a PIL under Article 32, seeking a direction to UIDAI to issue new Aadhaar to children only and frame new stringent guidelines for adolescents and adults, so as to stop infiltrators from getting it and masquerading as Indian citizens," the plea said.
It said the need to file the plea arose when the petitioner came to know the manner in which infiltrators are able to procure Aadhaar through a verification process that is weak and can be easily manipulated.
"Foreigners apply for Aadhaar under the 'foreign' category. But infiltrators apply for Aadhaar under the 'Indian citizen' category and get it easily made. Thereafter, they obtain a ration card, birth and domicile certificate, driving licence, et cetera, essentially becoming indistinguishable from Indian citizens…," it said.
Besides seeking other directions, the plea has raised legal questions, including whether the Aadhaar Act 2016 has become "temporally unreasonable" for failing to keep up with the legislative intent of distinguishing foreigners from Indian citizens.
It said the alleged misuse of Aadhaar undermines targeted welfare delivery and leads to diversion of public resources.
