Delhi Medical Association seeks to be made party in Supreme Court's suo motu RG Kar case

New Delhi: The Delhi Medical Association on Monday moved the Supreme Court, seeking to be made a party in 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 national capital-based doctors' body with more than 15,000 members has sought setting up of a committee headed by a former Supreme Court judge to "prepare a module/scheme for protection of doctors and medical service personnel against any violence in the hospitals and the public healthcare centres".

A bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud is scheduled to hear as the first matter on Tuesday a suo motu case related to the rape and murder of the postgraduate medic in Kolkata amid the ongoing nationwide doctors' strike over it.

The Delhi Medical Association's (DMA) plea, settled by senior lawyer Vijay Hansaria and advocate Sneha Kalita, has urged the top court that the committee could "comprise of the representatives of the Indian Medical Association; National Medical Commission; secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, government of India; an officer not below the rank of inspector general of police; resident doctors or representatives of the doctors from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital; members of civil society and such other person as this Hon'ble Court may deem fit and appropriate".

The doctors' body has said that pending the constitution and report of the committee, the top court could direct the superintendent of police of each district to carry out threat perception assessments of government hospitals and deploy necessary force.

"Direct the Union of India to develop a software mechanism by way of distress call alert system in all healthcare institutions/establishments/college/facilities, which shall be available to all the doctors and all medical service personnel, especially the women, which will have live connectivity with nearby local police station and security staff of the hospital," the DMA said.

"Direct that in all government healthcare medical institutions/ establishments/ colleges/ and such facilities to have proper functioning of CCTV cameras installed and which shall direct linkage with a centralised police control room or any such centralised agency as deemed fit," it said.

It has also sought a direction for mandatory filing of an FIR within 24 hours of such incidents happening in the vicinity of the premises or nearby premises of such healthcare institutions.

"Direct no firearms or other weapons are allowed inside the healthcare medical institutions/establishments/colleges/such facilities," it said.

The DMA has sought a direction to create "compensation distress fund for the healthcare victim or the family members of the deceased victim".

The alleged rape and murder of the junior doctor in a seminar hall of the state-run hospital has sparked nationwide protests.

The medic's body with severe injury marks was found inside the seminar hall of the hospital's chest department on August 9. A civic volunteer was arrested by the Kolkata Police in connection with the case the following day.

On August 13, Calcutta High Court ordered the transfer of the probe from the Kolkata Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which started its investigation on August 14.

The high court ordered the transfer of the probe to the CBI while hearing petitions, including one moved by the victim's parents praying for a court-monitored probe.