The Calcutta High Court on Thursday struck down the transfer of the protest leader from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, relief that did not come to him alone but also to hundreds of young doctors who took to the streets in his support.
The protest leader had become a symbol of the movement at RG Kar, where junior doctors had demanded better working conditions, better infrastructure, and respect at workplace. His sudden transfer to another hospital had been interpreted as an attempt to stall the momentum of the movement. “It was like they were attempting to muzzle him, and by extension muzzle all of us,” recollected a junior doctor, recalling the nervous days after the directive.
The High Court judgment now stood the verdict on its head. By quashing the transfer, the bench made it clear that the administrative power cannot be used as a means of gagging dissent. The judgment was also a reminder that the right to protest, exercised responsibly, is an essential ingredient of democratic institutions.
For the physicians at RG Kar, who work long hours in difficult conditions, the verdict is a victory that exceeds its legal importance. “This fight was never about an individual—it was about justice for all of us,” declared a second youth protestor, her voice infused with relief and determination.
The spotlight once again falls on the hospital administration under mounting pressure to agree the basic demands instead of punitive sanctions. Doctors contend that their demands are not exorbitant—they are simply asking for safer wards, adequate staff support, and respect as frontline carers.
At a time when institutions are trusted less by the public, the court’s move has restored a level of confidence to some extent. It has put in place the assurance that young professionals would not lose their jobs for standing up for justice.
For the protest leader and his fellow protesters, the choice is both a shield and a goad: a shield against efforts to silence them, and a goad to continue challenging for a more compassionate and improved healthcare system.
