The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the protesting medicos to call off their strike forthwith and assured them that the apex court would look into their grievances.
A vacation bench comprising Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice L S Panta said if the strike is called off, the government should appropriately consider the feelings of students and not take any punitive action.
The Court said the government shall recall the doctors whose services were terminated during the agitation and they should be given three days time to join work.
The bench assured the medicos that an action, which would be taken pursuant to the government policy, will be subject to the outcome of the writ petitions.
The Court made it clear that notwithstanding the pendency of the writ petitions against the government move to extend 27 per cent reservations to OBCs in institutions of higher education, it would be open to anyone to make representations before the Centre or approach the apex court.
The court asked Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanian to file a status report on Thursday relating to the compliance of its order.
The bench gave liberty to the agitating medicos as well as those affected by the policy to file separate petitions.
On an application moved by the resident doctors associations of Maulana Azad Medical College and AIIMS, the bench issued notice to the Centre, asking it to respond to the issues raised in it.
The court asked all those on strike to end it, saying the damage done to the patients is sometimes irretrievable. The bench said all protests, demonstrations and strikes that relate to expression of views or concerns by the doctors, students or others cannot have two channels for adjudication as the issues were being examined by this court.
If strikes and protests were allowed to continue, it would yield no result and cause inconvenience, it observed.