India, July 15 -- Resident doctors in India are routinely forced to work up to 100 hours per week, often with shifts of 24-36 hours, which is in clear violation of the Union health ministry's guidelines under 1992 Uniform Residency Scheme. So claims a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the United Doctors Front (UDF) in the Supreme Court in April, with the petitioners set to push for an urgent hearing this month.

The petition emphasises widespread non-compliance with the 1992 guidelines, which mandate a maximum of 12 hours of continuous duty per day and 48 hours of work per week. The matter assumes significance against the backdrop of recent cases such as the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical Co...