"Your Duty...": Chief Justice On Bengal's 'No Night Shift For Women' Note

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud today criticised a West Bengal government's notification saying state-run hospitals would avoid allotting night shifts to women doctors, stressing that it is the State's duty to provide them security.

Directing the Bengal government to amend the notification, which was issued in the wake of the rape-murder of a 31-year-old doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, the Chief Justice said, "How can you say women cannot work at night? why limit women doctors? they don't want a concession... women are ready to work in the same shift."

"Mr Sibal you have to look at it, the answer to it is that you must give security. West Bengal should correct the notification, your duty is to provide security, you cannot say that women cannot work at night. Pilots, Army etc all work at night," the Chief Justice said, addressing Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, counsel for the Mamata Banerjee government.

The court noted that the condition of women doctors not working at night would prejudice their careers. Mr Sibal then responded that the clause in question would be deleted.

Amid nationwide protests over the RG Kar hospital rape-murder incident, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's principal advisor Alapan Bandyopadhyay announced a new initiative to ensure the safety of women doctors.

Mr Bandyopadhyay said women-friendly security personnel would be deployed at all medical colleges and hospitals. He said arrangements would be made for regular night patrolling by the local police at medical colleges and hospitals.

"Shifts will be arranged in such a manner that in case of night duties the women doctors can function in pairs," he said, adding that private healthcare centres had also been asked to follow these guidelines.