The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has submitted a status report in the Supreme Court in its probe into the rape-murder of a woman doctor at a Kolkata hospital. The incident has sparked nationwide strike by doctors. A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud had on Tuesday said the nation cannot wait for another rape case for changes to occur on the ground, and constituted a National Task Force to ensure the safety of doctors. The top court has resumed hearing the case.

Here are the LIVE updates in Kolkata rape-murder case: 

Doctors protesting against a 31-year-old doctor’s rape and murder at a Kolkata hospital must resume their duties because the poor people of the country cannot be left in the lurch, the Supreme Court said today.

The bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, was hearing a batch of petitions related to the chilling crime that has shaken the nation.

At the start of the proceedings, a lawyer appearing for resident doctors in AIIMS Nagpur said the medicos are being marked absent because they are on protest.

“If they are on duty, they will not be marked absent and if they are not on duty, then law will be followed. Ask them to first return to work, no one will take adverse action against any doctor. If there is difficulty after that, then come to us, but let them first report to work,” the Chief Justice of India said.

He added that in some cases, people wait for as much as two years for doctors’ appointments. “Poor people cannot be left in the lurch.”

When a lawyer representing doctors from PGIMER Chandigarh said doctors are being victimised.

The Chief Justice reiterated that doctors must get back to duty first. “Once they get back to duty, we will prevail upon authorities to not take adverse action, else how will public health infrastructure run, if the doctors do not work,” the Chief Justice said, adding that the court’s assurance should satisfy the doctors.

The court assured the doctors’ representatives that all their concerns will be addressed by the National Task Force set up to make recommendations for improving doctors’ work conditions and ensuring their security.

“If we start asking representatives of various stakeholders to be part of committee then work of the committee gets dislocated, we know that the committee has senior women doctors and they have dedicated their life to public health infrastructure. The committee will hear everyone, interns, residents, senior residents, nurses, paramedical staff. The committee will ensure that all representatives are heard,” the bench said.