Two days after the State Government issued notices to 120 absentee doctors asking them to join their duties within 15 days, a police complaint was filed against all of them here at the Capital police station for allegedly committing criminal misconduct by remaining absent from their duties for long without due permission.
Rights campaigner Subhash Mohapatra filed the plaint alleging that all the 120 doctors have remained untraced for years.
“Attempts have been made by the Government to ascertain their addresses to communicate with them, but their whereabouts could not be known as they have not intimated their addresses either to their immediate authorities or Health Services Director or other official agencies. In this context, it is to be noted that the State Government has categorized the 120 medical officers as absentees but in fact at the case at hand the said medical officers are absconders. Hence, they have committed offence as defined under Section 172 of the IPC,” said the complainant.
Further, since they are withdrawing their salaries and remunerations, which are admittedly pecuniary advantage without rendering any public service which is an offence under Prevention of Corruption Act 1988. Admittedly, the 120 medical officers are public servants as defined in section 2(c) of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 and also be criminally prosecuted for committing offences as per Sections 13 (1) (c) and (d) and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988, the petitioner contended.