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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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
