The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to entertain pleas calling for further guidelines to safeguard doctors against assaults, with a bench stating that the apex court cannot be expected to oversee every issue directly.
Justices Bela M Trivedi and Prasanna B Varale highlighted that existing guidelines were already comprehensive, and the petitioners could pursue appropriate actions as needed. The statement came during the hearing of three petitions filed in 2022 that sought stronger protections for medical professionals following increased reports of assaults.
“You cannot expect the Supreme Court to monitor each and every incident sitting here,” Justice Varale remarked, addressing the advocates who presented examples of recent assaults on healthcare workers. The bench pointed to previous directives issued by the court, insisting that adherence to these guidelines was crucial and their violation could lead to contempt of court proceedings.
One of the notable cases discussed involved a gynecologist from Dausa, Rajasthan, who allegedly committed suicide after being harassed by a mob due to a patient’s death during delivery. This particular instance had prompted one of the pleas, which also called for a CBI investigation into the incident.
During the proceedings, Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing one of the petitioners, argued that despite the apex court’s judgment, practical changes on the ground were minimal. “How can such a general allegation be made against all police stations?” questioned the bench when Sankaranarayanan noted that police were quick to register cases against doctors after patient deaths.
Further, when the possibility of legislative action was suggested, the bench firmly stated, “It is for the parliament to do.” This response came even as discussions pointed towards training for police to handle such cases sensitively, which the bench classified as a policy matter.
The hearing concluded with the court suggesting that the petitioners approach the relevant high court. Meanwhile, Sankaranarayanan requested a transfer of the matter to the Delhi High Court, considering the responses from four states, which the bench denied due to jurisdictional concerns over the Rajasthan-related incident.
