Three junior doctors who have alleged vindictive postings because of their leading role in the RG Kar protests approached Calcutta High Court on Monday, the first day after the summer recess of the court, challenging their posting.

Two of them — Asfakulla Naiya, who was a postgraduate trainee at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, and Debashis Halder, who was a senior resident (first-year) at Medical College Kolkata — had approached a vacation bench of the high court on May 30. The vacation bench had allowed the two doctors to file their petitions, but could not hear the matter during the vacation.

The two approached the bench of Justice Amrita Sinha on the first day after the summer break. Justice Sinha permitted them to file the petition.

The third doctor, Aniket Mahata, a postgraduate trainee at RG Kar, did not approach the vacation bench. He approached the bench of Justice Biswajit Basu on Monday. Justice Basu also permitted him to file the petition.

Justice Sinha asked the counsel appearing for Naiya and Halder why they were seeking an early hearing. The lawyer said the two doctors were given postings with a motive.

Justice Sinha then asked the counsel to serve notice to the respondents and come back to the court on Thursday.

Mahata, an anaesthesiologist, had picked RG Kar Medical College and Hospital as his choice in the counselling, but has been posted at Raiganj Government Medical College and Hospital.

Naiya, an ENT specialist, chose Prafulla Chandra Sen Government Medical College in Arambagh, Hooghly, but has been posted at Deben Mahato Government Medical College and Hospital in Purulia.

Halder, an anaesthesiologist, chose Howrah district hospital but was sent to Gazole Rural Hospital.

Naiya and Halder have both joined the hospitals where they have been posted. Mahata hasn’t.

Mahata’s counsel also urged the court for an urgent hearing. Mahata told Metro: “My counsel told the court about the vindictive posting. I have not joined the hospital where I have been posted. I am challenging the legality of this posting order.”

“The result of the postgraduate exam was declared on February 28. The counselling was completed on March 25, but the state health department did not issue a posting order for two months. On May 27, they published a posting order where the hospital I chose during the counselling was not given to me,” Mahata said.

A doctor, after obtaining the postgraduate degree, has to serve three years as a senior resident — one in a medical college and two in a district, sub-divisional or rural hospital.

A merit list was prepared for each speciality based on the performance of the postgraduate trainees in the final-year exam. After that, the health department published a vacancy list for each speciality, mentioning the vacancies in the hospitals and medical colleges. The counselling was then held where, based on rank on the merit list, each doctor chose a hospital or medical college.

“We are challenging the legality of the posting order. Not posting us at the hospital we picked during the counselling is illegal,” alleged Halder.