New Delhi, Sept. 14: The Supreme Court today listed a PIL seeking a decision on suspending the licence of a practising doctor involved in medical negligence cases.

The court took on record the “problems and suggestions” made in the petition that also touched on inclusion of “non-medical” members in medical councils and formation of councils in states where none existed.

The PIL, filed by Malay Ganguly, secretary of the Calcutta-based People for Better Treatment, has been listed for hearing after six weeks.

Medical Council of India counsel Maninder Singh told the court licences of 60 doctors in Andhra Pradesh had recently been withdrawn for two years on grounds of “misconduct”. The counsel said the doctors had been working in two or more medical college hospitals in violation of rules but had admitted their “guilt” and sought the MCI’s “pardon”.

He also said the MCI’s problem was that the state medical council had to recommend action, which was not forthcoming in cases of medical negligence.

Counsel for the Delhi medical council said doctors registered in one state and practised in another, so the state where they worked could not initiate action.

The petitioner’s counsel, M.N. Krishnamani, argued that both states would have to be empowered to initiate action on a complaint. Besides, if a state council did not take action within six months, the MCI could do so under existing rules.

The petitioner’s sister-in-law and US-based doctor Anuradha Saha had died because of alleged medical negligence in Calcutta in 1998 when she and her husband Kunal Saha, also a doctor, had come visiting.