RG Kar protest face hails HC judgment, says it vindicates claim on 'politically motivated' transfers
Kolkata (PTI): Aniket Mahato, one of the prominent faces of a protest movement over the rape-murder of a postgraduate trainee at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital here, welcomed Calcutta High Court's direction to the West Bengal government to engage him at the same medical establishment as a senior resident in the Anaesthesiology Department.
Setting aside Mahato's deployment at Raiganj Medical College and Hospital as per a notification of May 27, 2025 as a senior resident, the court of Justice Biswajit Basu on Wednesday directed the state to engage him at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in the Department of Anaesthesiology with immediate effect.
Mahato, while addressing a press conference, said that the judgment vindicated their claim that the decision to transfer him was "politically motivated".
"The high court rightly raised the issue as to why two people out of 871 had been picked up for transfer. Why were the SOPs violated? We had earlier pointed out that there was a lack of transparency, but the high-handed, arrogant administration was transgressing all limits in taking such a decision," he said.
Holding that the decision of the state to deploy Mahato at Raiganj Medical College and Hospital in Uttar Dinajpur district violates the principle of reasonableness, Justice Basu said that the state has committed a serious wrong, which demands intervention.
A prayer by the state's lawyer for a stay of operation of the order till October 7 for moving an appeal against the judgment was refused by Justice Basu.
Mahato said they had been waiting for four months, and the truth finally prevailed on Wednesday.
He said it was not only his win, but of all those who "fought the state administration after being wronged".
To another question, he alleged that police harassment still continues, but he would not be scared.
The lawyer for Mahato, who had moved the high court challenging the state's decision to post him in Raiganj, claimed that the petitioner and two other doctors were prominent faces of the R G Kar movement and have faced police harassment for their role.
It was claimed that in contravention of the provisions of an SOP formulated by the state for deployment of senior residents on the basis of merit, the department has "targeted them" out of a total of 871 doctors in the list and placed them in hospitals far away from the medical institutions opted by them at the time of counselling as "punishment posting".
Mahato had opted for one of the four vacancies at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in the Department of Anaesthesiology, but the department engaged a lesser meritorious candidate for reasons best known to it, Mahato's lawyer stated.
The body of the on-duty post-graduate trainee doctor, who was raped and murdered, was found in the seminar room of the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024, leading to countrywide protests.
One person, Sanjay Roy, was sentenced to imprisonment for life till the end of his natural life by the Sealdah sessions court after having been found guilty of the rape and murder of the doctor.
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India proposes preferential trade agreement with Mexico to deal with high tariffs
New Delhi (PTI): India has proposed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Mexico to help domestic exporters deal with the steep tariffs announced by the South American country, a top government official said on Monday.
Mexico has decided to impose steep import tariffs - ranging from about 5 per cent to as high as 50 per cent on a wide range of goods (about 1,463 tariff lines) from countries that do not have free trade agreements with Mexico, including India, China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that India has engaged with the country on the issue.
"Technical level talks are on...The only fast way forward is to try to get a preferential trade agreement (PTA) because an FTA (free trade agreement) will take a lot of time. So we are trying to see what can be a good way forward," he told reporters here.
While in an FTA two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on maximum number of goods traded between them, in a PTA, duties are cut or removed on a limited number of products.
Trading partners of Mexico cannot file a compliant against the decision on imposing high tariffs as they are WTO (World Trade Organisation) compatible.
The duties are within their bound rates, he said, adding that their primary target was not India.
"We have proposed a PTA because its a WTO-compatible way forward... we can do a PTA and try to get concessions that are required for Indian supply chains and similarly offer them concessions where they have export interests in India," Agrawal said.
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Citing support for local production and correction of trade imbalances, Mexico has approved an increase in MFN (most favoured nation) import tariffs (5-50 per cent) with effect from January 1, 2026 on 1,455 tariff lines (or product categories) within the WTO framework, targeting non-FTA partners.
Preliminary estimates suggest that this affects India's around USD 2 billion exports to Mexico particularly -- automobile, two-wheelers, auto parts, textiles, iron and steel, plastics, leather and footwear.
The measure is also aimed at curbing Chinese imports.
India-Mexico merchandise trade totalled USD 8.74 billion in 2024, with exports USD 5.73 billion, imports USD 3.01 billion, and a trade surplus of USD 2.72 billion.
The government has been continuously and comprehensively assessing Mexico's tariff revisions since the issue emerged, engaging stakeholders, safeguarding the interests of Indian exporters, and pursuing constructive dialogue to ensure a stable trade environment benefiting businesses and consumers in both countries.
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Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai has said that Mexico's decision is a matter of concern, particularly for sectors like automobiles and auto components, machinery, electrical and electronics, organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and plastics.
"Such steep duties will erode our competitiveness and risk, disrupting supply chains that have taken years to develop," Sahai said, adding that this development also underlines the little urgency for India and Mexico to fast-track a comprehensive trade agreement.
Domestic auto component manufacturers will face enhanced cost pressures with Mexico hiking duties on Indian imports, according to industry body ACMA.
