SC issues notice to Mamata Banerjee for appointing convicted doctor

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on a petition that challenged the appointment of Dr Sukumar Mukherjee, who was earlier convicted in a medical negligence case, as the chief advisor to the state government on health issues.

Earlier, the Calcutta High Court had deleted that name of the Trinamool Congress chief from the petition. A petition in this regard was filed by Kunal Saha, whose wife Anuradha Saha had died of medical negligence.

Hearing the case, the Supreme Court had convicted Dr Sukumar Mukherjee in the case. In his petition, Saha had accused the Mamata Banerjee government of ignoring the tainted past of Dr Sukumar Mukherjee by giving him a plum in the West Bengal government.

The chief health advisor to the West Bengal government was earlier convicted in a medical negligence case.

A bench of Justice R M Lodha and Justice AR Dave issued notice to Banerjee seeking her reply on why she should not be made party in the case challenging the appointment of Mukherjee, against whom Supreme Court had made adverse remarks earlier.

"It was surely abnormal procedure adopted by the Calcutta High Court. She should have been issued notice and she should be heard before deleting her name from the list of parties," the bench said. The bench further clarified that it is issuing notice to Banerjee only as to why she should not remain one of the respondents in the case filed in high court.

(With Additional Inputs from PTI)

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