Ranchi, Jan. 10: Bringing an end to a long-drawn dispute, the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims) today decided to absorb all doctors with retrospective effect from August 15, 2002, the day the hospital came into being.

Jharkhand High Court today, however, ordered the authorities to provide the list of names of all doctors who will be absorbed by the institute. The division bench of acting Chief Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya and Justice Narendra Nath Tiwari has directed the hospital to provide the list of doctors by January 18.

The governing body of the hospital, in a meeting chaired by new chief secretary P.P. Sharma on December 20, had approved ?total absorption? of all the teachers of RMCH working for Rims ever since the latter was born. Early this morning, the Rims administration issued a notification saying that all doctors and non-teaching staff will be considered employees of the hospital from August 15, 2002.

The row over absorption arose when five doctors of Rims, Madhup Lal, Ranganath Singh, Chandra Bhushan Sinha, Manorama Bihariand Bimal Kumar Sahay, moved court to challenge their age of retirement. Except Sahay, the other four doctors were due to retire on June 30, 2004 when they turned 58, according to the rules of the state government.

However, the doctors refused to accept their retirement, arguing they were under the rules of the Rims, which was an autonomous institute, and not a state body. The rules of the state government cannot apply on them, the doctors had said. They also pointed out that they had opted for Rims after Rajendra Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) was converted to Rims.

However, when the retirement of the doctors was not revoked by Rims, they approached the court to stall their superannuation.

The case was earlier filed before the single bench of the high court in which, the counsel for Rims had pleaded that the doctors in question have still not been absorbed. The counsel explained that as the doctors have not been absorbed, they still continue to be under the authority of the state. As employees of the state, the doctors should retire at the age of 58, the counsel added.

According to rules framed by Rims, doctors should have been absorbed within one year of its formation. As the institution had failed to absorb the petitioners, the onus lies on the institute to absorb the doctors, the petitioners had said.

The single bench of the court had earlier directed the state government to pass appropriate orders in the matter of retirement of the doctors and maintain status quo till the matter is finalised.

Two days after the governing body?s decision, the Rims Medical Teachers? Association split over the issue. The association meeting witnessed heated arguments. One section opposed the absorption without due promotion while another section said there should be an end to agitation. On December 24, sharp differences in the MTA resulted in the association president dissolving the body ?with immediate effect.?