SC disposes of plea seeking timely payment of salaries to medics

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday disposed of a plea seeking timely payment of salary to doctors and healthcare workers, citing that the Delhi High Court was already on the matter.

A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, R. Subhash Reddy and M.R. Shah said the Delhi High Court has already taken up suo moto proceedings based on multiple media reports highlighting the issues connected with non-payment of salaries to the medical professionals.

The top court observed that the North Delhi Municipal Corporation has already started paying salaries to doctors. The observation came on a petition by a private doctor, who questioned the Centre's decision on May 15 that 14-day quarantine period is not mandatory for doctors.

The bench added that it will depose the plea with liberty to petitioner to raise issues, if any, before the high court.

Senior Advocate K.V. Viswanathan, representing the petitioner, informed the bench that there is an issue still remaining, the ASHA Workers who have not been paid salaries so far.

The top court noted that this issue does not fall in the purview of the petition taken up for hearing.

The petitioner had also informed the top court that the medical professional, doctors and healthcare workers, involved in the treatment of Covid-19 are not being paid timely, and their wages were cut for the quarantine period.