Left in the lurch, doctors slam govt

Hundreds of doctors across Maharashtra who adjusted critical surgeries and OPD schedules to vote in the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) elections on Thursday were left disillusioned after the Supreme Court abruptly stayed the process mid-morning.

- Rupsa Chakraborty

MUMBAI: The court flagged the ineligibility of the returning officer and slammed the state government for misinterpreting its earlier directive, calling the ongoing election process flawed and procedurally invalid.

Despite the apex court's oral observations on Wednesday evening — allowing the appointment of a new returning officer but implying the polling process must restart from scratch — polling went ahead as scheduled on Thursday. It commenced at 8am and doctors continued arriving at polling booths till 3pm in some places, unaware that the apex court had rebuked the government and ordered voting to be halted.