SC directs Kerala Govt to review Retirement age of Homeopathic Doctors

New Delhi: Upholding a previous Kerala High Court judgement regarding increasing the retirement age of AYUSH doctors, the Supreme Court passed an order directing the Kerala government to take a decision within three months on the demand to raise the retirement age of homeopathic doctors who are in service. 

The order was given by a two-judge bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Abhay S Oka who reiterated the previous judgment given by the Kerala High Court that fixing the age limit of retirement is a policy decision of a government reports Mathrubhumi.

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In 2017, the Kerala government raised the retirement age of allopathic doctors under the health department to 60, reports the Kerala Kaumudi. Following that, the Kerala Govt. Homeo Medical Officers Association had filed a plea requesting that a similar benefit should be provided to homoeopathic doctors under the AYUSH department.  

The Kerala Administrative Tribunal had earlier ordered to increase of the retirement age of doctors in the AYUSH department to 60. The AYUSH doctors include Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy practitioners. 

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the Division Bench of the High Court had, however, dismissed the KAT order as it took note of the fact that the State had not taken any decision on the matter. The bench comprising Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Mohammed Nias CP had directed the Government to review the facts regarding the plea for raising the retirement age of AYUSH doctors to 60 and take a call on the matter within three months. 

The Supreme Court upheld this and stated that any objection to the government's decision could be clarified in the court. The state government stated that no decision has been taken in this regard. 

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