Close on the heels of a PIl filed in the Odisha High Court to declare the ongoing strike by Junior Doctors of the SCB Medical College and Hospital here as “illegal”, a fresh petition was filed on Friday urging the High Court to direct the State Government to impose provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against the striking doctors.
The legal Support and Social Action (lesa), a city-based social organisation which had earlier filed a writ in the High Court in July 2012 alleging the then nurses’ strike in the State as a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution, on Friday filed a miscellaneous case alleging that the ongoing strike by the Junior Doctors too violates a direction of the High Court.
Urging the court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the striking doctors, the petitioner also sought the court’s intervention in providing adequate healthcare facilities to the innocent patients of the hospital who are suffering due to an “illegal” strike by the doctor.
It may be mentioned that following the arrest of a Junior Doctor of the hospital for allegedly assaulting two local TV reporters, the doctors have launched an indefinite strike boycotting duties since Monday. Demanding action against one of their own professors and a local police inspector, the doctors have also threatened the local journalists from entering the hospital campus.
Intervening in the serious law and order situation in the hospital premises, Director General of Police (DGP) Prakash Mishra on Friday assured the city journalists that adequate police protection would be provided to them in the hospital campus to cover news. In a related matter, journalism students of the Ravenshaw.
University here have thrown their weight behind the cause of the city scribes and threatened to hit the streets if the medical students do not allow journalists to enter the hospital campus.