HC upholds Junior doctor's posting at RG Kar Medical College Hospital

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed the West Bengal government health department to retain junior doctor Aniket Mahato's posting at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, which he had chosen during counselling, according to court sources.

Mahato is one of the medics who spearheaded the movement for the removal of corruption in the RG Kar after a woman medic was raped and murdered on August 9, 2024, on the campus. He had challenged the government notification in the court, saying his transfer was a punitive measure by the government for taking part in the agitation.

According to a UNI report, Calcutta High Court's single bench judge Justice Biswajit Basu, after hearing the arguments from both sides, dismissed the government notification and said the petitioner be posted to his preferred RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

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The judge observed that transferring the petitioner to Raiganj hospital was a serious mistake on the part of the government. Mahato's advocate argued that if his client's preferred hospital was not allotted, then why the counselling for such options was held by the state health department.

Earlier, the same bench had dismissed an appeal by the government seeking to transfer the hearing on the transfer of three doctors who led the rape-murder case protests. The court also barred the government from taking any coercive action against them until the matter was heard.

Justice Biswajit Basu, after hearing the argument and counterargument, said Mahato's case was to be heard in his chamber and not at any state civil service tribunal.

The government had sought that since Mahato is a government employee and the state exchequer pays his salary, his plea against the transfer be heard by a state tribunal.

Besides Mahato, two other medics, Debasish Haldar and Asfaqullah Naiya, also moved the Calcutta High Court seeking judicial intervention after they were transferred far off, and denied the choices given during counselling, reports UNI.

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