Women want equal opportunity: SC objects to West Bengal's 'no night duty' policy for women doctors
New Delhi, Sep 17: The Supreme Court on Tuesday objected to the West Bengal government's 'Rattierer Saathi' programme which stipulated that working hours of women should not exceed 12 hours at a time and prescribed avoiding night duty.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra expressed surprise that the state government has issued such a notification.
The top court said if men are working in more that 12-hour shift, women doctors are also entitled to do so.
"How can you say that women will not work in night shifts? Women will have objection if you stop them from working in the night," it said.
Women do not want concessions, but they want equal opportunity. "Why should we prevent a woman doctor from working in the night," it said.
The court ordered that the West Bengal government should immediately correct the notification.
"Your duty is to provide security, you cannot say that women (doctors) cannot work at night. Pilots, the army etc all work at night.
"This will prejudice their (doctors) careers. The hours of duty should be reasonable for all doctors," the bench said.
The apex court said it is the duty of the state government to provide security to the women doctors working in the night.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), said the Centre could provide security for women doctors if the state government was not willing to provide it.
Contending that it was only a temporary security measure, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the West Bengal government, submitted that the state would issue a notification to correct it.
To enhance the safety and security of women working in night shifts across government and private sectors, the West Bengal Health Department had issued a comprehensive set of measures and launched a flagship programme named 'Rattierer Saathi — Helpers of the Night'.
The new guidelines will be enforced in the medical colleges, hospitals and hostels where similar provisions are not already in place, the order said.
"Working hours of women should not exceed 12 hours at a time. Wherever possible, night duty may be avoided for women to the extent possible," it said.
The top court was hearing a suo motu case related to the rape and murder of a postgraduate medic at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
The medic's body with severe injury marks was found on August 9. A civic volunteer was arrested by the Kolkata Police in connection with the case the following day.
On August 13, the Calcutta High Court ordered the transfer of the probe from the Kolkata Police to the CBI, which started its investigation on August 14.
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Stalin claims DMK secured 1.54 crore votes
Chennai (PTI): DMK president M K Stalin on Tuesday, in a veiled reference to the TVK, claimed that the party that won additional constituencies has gained only 17.43 lakh more votes than the DMK.
He was referring to the April 23 Assembly polls where the DMK and its allies secured 74 seats, with the Dravidian party netting 59 constituencies.
In a statement, Stalin said, "the percentage difference in votes between us and them is just 3.52 per cent," in an apparent reference to the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kahzagam emerged victorious in the polls, the results of which were announced on Monday.
Claiming that the DMK alliance has secured 1.54 crore votes, Stalin said, "I consider each and every one of your votes as an invaluable token of trust".
Stating that DMK has been in power several times, he said "there is no victory we have not seen and there is no defeat we have not faced".
"Whether in victory or defeat, those who regard them equally and continue their journey toward their ideals are the comrades of the party", he said adding "you are the lifeblood and roots of the movement".
"The harvest of 1.54 crore votes is the fruit of your commitment", he said.
"What return can I offer for your hard work? With the feeling of being the chief worker, we will continue our journey," the DMK chief added.
Stalin said "if we are the ruling party, we will formulate schemes for the people. If we are the opposition party, we will fight for the people's demands. In that regard, now as a strong opposition party, we will continue to work for the people".
Asserting that the DMK will continue the journey of taking forward the policies of the century-old great Dravidian movement, protecting race, language, and nation, the DMK leader said "in our journey, I will not leave anyone behind. We will win again".
