Kolkata rape case: SC forms 10-member task force; to deliver final report in 2 months

Guwahati, August 20: The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, established a 10-member task force to develop a national protocol aimed at safeguarding doctors across the country.

During the inaugural hearing of the suo moto case initiated by the court in the wake of the gruesome rape and murder of the trainee doctor in RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata, it was noted that the "country cannot afford another tragic incident".

The court highlighted that existing laws fail to adequately ensure the institutional safety of doctors and medical professionals.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud underscored the urgency, stating, "As more and more women join the workforce, the nation cannot wait for another rape for change to happen on the ground."

A bench led by the CJI, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, issued the order to establish a National Task Force (NTF) comprising the following members:

• Surgeon Vice Admiral R Sarin, AVSM, VSM, Director General, Medical Services (Navy);
• Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman and Managing Director, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology and AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad;
• Dr M Shreenivas, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi;
• Dr Pratima Murty, Director, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru;
• Dr Goverdhan Dutt Puri, Executive Director, AIIMS, Jodhpur;
• Dr Saumitra Rawat, Chairperson, Institute of Surgical Gastroenterology, GI and HPB Onco-Surgery and Liver Transplantation and Member, Board of Management, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi; Member, Court of Examiners, Royal College of Surgeons, England;
• Prof Anita Saxena, Vice-Chancellor, Pandit B D Sharma Medical University, Rohtak. Formerly Dean of Academics, Chief Cardiothoracic Centre and Head Cardiology, AIIMS Delhi;
• Prof Pallavi Sapre, Dean, Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Mumbai;
• Dr Padma Srivastava, formerly Professor at the Department of Neurology, AIIMS Delhi. Currently serving as the Chairperson of Neurology at Paras Health Gurugram.
• Ex-officio members of the national task force would include Cabinet Secretary to Government of India, Home secretary to Government of India, Secretary of Union Health Ministry, Chairperson of National Medical Commission and President of National Board of Examiners.

“The NTF shall make report on all aspects of the action plan mentioned as above and the other aspects could also be included. NTF shall also suggest appropriate timelines based on which suggestions can be implemented by the hospitals on the basis of their existing infrastructure,” the court order stated.

The court directed the task force to provide an interim report in three weeks and final report within two months.

Furthermore, the apex court ordered all the states and Union Territories to collect information from state-run and central-run hospitals on security professionals provided, baggage screening at entry, resting rooms, facilities in resting rooms, CCTV, and other measures taken in view for safety of the health professionals.

The court directed the Centre to tabulate the data and submit the same within a month by way of an affidavit.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had taken a suo moto cognizance of the rape case at a state-run hospital in Kolkata on August 18 and on Tuesday, it held the first hearing.

The next hearing on the case will be on August 22.