The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered an interim stay on the decision of the RG Kar Medical College authorities to suspend 51 medical students and doctors over alleged “threat culture” at the hospital.

A single-judge vacation bench of Justice Kaushik Chanda observed that the resolution passed by a special college council will not be effective, unless a decision is taken by the state government on the matter in accordance with the law.

Some of the suspended doctors had approached the High Court claiming that the suspension order was passed without giving them a chance to present their side before the inquiry committee. The petitioners also contended that the council members lacked the authority to suspend or expel them.

The matter also came up when the junior doctors met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who expressed displeasure over the decision. The CM questioned how the R.G Kar authorities unilaterally suspended these doctors without taking the Health Department in confidence.

“How could the Principal of R.G. Kar suspend doctors unilaterally? Did he feel the need to inform the state government of the matter? Is this also not a kind of ‘threat culture’? No one should be suspended without proper investigation. No one should act according to his or her whims,” the Chief Minister said.

On this, a representative of junior doctors called all of them criminals. “They indulged in sexual molestation, extortion, issuing threats and every other criminal activity. If they are not suspended, the educational culture of the RG Kar medical college can’t be revived,” he said

The PTI reported that the medical college authorities said the order of suspension of the 57 medics/students is a mere recommendation and that the council has forwarded the same to the state government for taking further action.—PTI inputs