Ask states to pay salaries to doctors on time, SC tells Centre

Responding to allegations made by petitioner Arushi Jain and doctors associations about non-payment of salaries despite the court’s June 17 order,the Centre had written to states on June 18 for timely payment of salaries to doctors and healthcare staff.

Dhananjay Mahapatra ,
TNN

Updated On Aug 1, 2020 at 07:45 AM IST

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday took a serious view of Delhi, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tripura and Karnataka defying the Centre’s directions for timely payment of salaries to doctors and health workers on Covid-19 duty and said the Centre should know its powers to force states to obey its orders.

Responding to allegations made by petitioner Arushi Jain and doctors associations about non-payment of salaries despite the court’s June 17 order, solicitor general Tushar Mehta informed a bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R S Reddy and M R Shah that the Centre had written to states on June 18 for timely payment of salaries to doctors and healthcare staff.

He said the government had sent reminders to all states on July 20. But till date, Delhi, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka and Tripura have not filed reports indicating compliance of the Centre’s June 17 direction and July 20 reminder.