Remote area criteria for doctors challenged
A division bench presided by Justice Pratap Roy passed the interim stay till further orders and directed the state to file an affidavit by Monday giving details.
Considering the urgency of the matter, the court decided to begin hearing the case from Friday.
Papiya Biswas and several other junior doctors challenged the demarcations made by the government alleging that while places near the metropolis were marked remote, several places which were far away from urban areas were not, thus depriving deserving candidates.
A single bench of the high court had earlier upheld the state government's order of November 18, 2011, outlining criteria to classify remote health areas, against which the appeal was filed.
Counselling for service doctors, which was to begin from tomorrow, for postgraduate courses would only be held after the division bench decided the case.
Considering the dearth of qualified doctors serving in remote areas in the country, the Medical Council of India had in 2008 introduced an incentive for junior doctors serving in hospitals and health centres in these areas.
Such doctors were to be given a grace mark of 10 to 30 marks in admission tests to the postgraduate MD course.
The MCI had, however, left it to the state governments to determine which places were to be demarcated as remote areas. PTI AMR PC
HKS