Nurses' Bond issue: Legal Cell moves to Court again

Pravasi Legal Cell has approached the Hon'ble High Court of Delhi in a matter related to the bond system of nurses being practiced by the private hospitals in the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Earlier a prominent Delhi hospital had pressed a dishonoured cheque case against a male nursing staff who had resigned from the job. The signed cheque, along with a work bond for two years, was taken from the employee while joining the job. Due to work pressure and mental harassment, the staff decided to resign even before the two year period was complete. On his resignation, the hospital management submitted the cheque for encashment in the bank. On the cheque getting dishonoured, the hospital approached a lower court for relief. Pravasi Legal has taken this issue to the notice of the Delhi High Court since it is a violation of the employee's rights. The injustice and illegality of the case have been pointed out in the petition.

Pravasi Legal Cell, in 2011, had approached the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court in cases pertaining to the bond system practiced in the private medical sector. On various Public Interest Litigations filed by the Legal Cell, the courts had ruled in favour of the nurses and had ordered the governments to take adequate measures to stop the exploitation of the nurses. As a result, the Delhi Government, The Nursing Council of India, and the Union Government issued separate orders prohibiting the hospitals from withholding any original educational certificate of the employees for more than a period required for verification. Due to the orders, such practices were generally discontinued.

The freedom to resign from the job at will had bettered the working conditions of tens of thousands of nurses working all across the country. Now the hospitals are back with another strategy to enslave and exploit the nursing community. The petition filed through Adv. Jose Abraham, President of Pravasi Legal cell, has been received by the Court and is scheduled for hearing.