The Supreme Court, while hearing the petition of Ayurvedic doctors on Friday (September 27, 2024), has raised questions on the attitude of the Rajasthan government. He made a very important comment on the matter and asked why Ayurvedic doctors are being treated like stepchildren. Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud’s bench was hearing the petition of Rajasthan government. This matter is related to Ayurvedic doctors, who have not received salary for five months. After the Rajasthan High Court’s order to increase the age limit of retirement in Rajasthan, the age limit of doctors was increased, but they have not received salary for 5 months.
The Rajasthan government has approached the Supreme Court against the decision of the High Court, but the Supreme Court has also reprimanded the government. The respondents had objected to increasing the retirement age of allopathic doctors and not doing the same for Ayurvedic doctors. He says that by doing this a discriminatory attitude has been adopted.
Justice Manoj Mishra was also hearing along with CJI Chandrachud. The Rajasthan government had filed a petition against the decision of the High Court, in which the High Court had directed the government to increase the age limit for retirement like allopathic doctors. The court lawyer told that after the order of the High Court, the age limit was increased, but he has not received his salary for five months.
Taking the matter of delay in salary seriously, the bench of CJI Chandrachud said that Ayurvedic doctors are also working, then why is this step-motherly treatment happening to them. Why has the government not paid him his salary yet? The court asked the Rajasthan government to pay the same salary to the defendants and other doctors as is given to allopathic doctors of the same post. The court has ordered to provide salaries to doctors within a week.
On February 28, the Rajasthan High Court had allowed the writ petitions filed to make the retirement age of Ayurvedic doctors equal to that of allopathic doctors. The court was told that on March 31, 2016, the retirement age limit of allopathic doctors was increased from 60 years to 62 years. The petition said that this selective treatment at retirement age shows discriminatory attitude towards Ayurvedic doctors, which is a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution.