SC forms 10-member task force, says 'can't await a rape for real changes on the ground'

Directs CBI to file status report by August 22 on investigation in Kolkata rape-murder case

In a significant move to address the escalating concerns over the safety and security of medical professionals, the Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a 10-member National Task Force (NTF).

The decision came in the wake of the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata which sparked widespread protests across the nation. Acknowledging the widespread protests bydoctors, the court appealed to the medical fraternity to trust the judiciary and resume work.

The Supreme Court, expressing deep concern over the systemic failures that have left healthcare workers vulnerable, said that the safety and well-being of doctors is a matter of national interest. "The nation cannot await a rape or murder for real changes on the ground," stated Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, who led the bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.

The NTF, composed of leading medical professionals and government officials, has been mandated to develop an actionable plan under two critical areas: preventing violence, including gender-based violence, against medical professionals, and establishing an enforceable national protocol for dignified and safe working conditions for all medical personnel, including interns, residents, and senior doctors.

The 10 members of the task force are Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, Director General, Medical Services (Navy), Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman and Managing Director, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology and AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, Dr M Srinivas, Director of Delhi-AIIMS, Dr Pratima Murthy, 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.