Non-payment of doctors' salaries for three months: Delhi HC takes suo motu cognizance

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday took suo motu cognizance of the non-payment of salaries to MCD employees, after observing various media reports claiming that the doctors at hospitals managed by the civic body are not getting salaries.

The matter will be taken up on Friday by a bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan and the court has issued notice to the Central and Delhi governments and the MCD.

The Resident Doctors' Association of Delhi's Kasturba Hospital had threatened to tender their mass resignations by June 16, due to non-payment of their salaries for the past three months. The 450-bedded Kasturba Hospital, near the Jama Masjid, falls under the ambit of the North Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

"This is to inform that the Resident doctors have not been salaried for the last three months. No, work, no pay. We are afraid that if we will not be paid by June 16, we will have to move for mass resignations," said a letter sent to the Additional Medical Superintendent of the hospital.

The association said that the doctors, besides putting their lives at risk due to the Covid-19 pandemic, are unable to pay their rents, travelling expenses and are unable to buy essential commodities due to non-disbursal of salaries since March.

Seeking salaries "as soon as possible", the letter, undersigned by Association's General Secretary Dr Ratnesh Kumar Singh, further demanded assurances that regular salary payments will be made.

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