The High Court yesterday directed authorities concerned of the government to immediately appoint doctors to fill the 117 vacant posts in prisons across the country. 

The court also ordered the director general of Directorate of Health Services (DGHS) to submit a report before it within a month after complying with the order.

The bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader gave the order while hearing a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Md JR Khan Robin on February 19 last year, seeking its order to allow recruitment of doctors.

Deputy Attorney General Abdullah Al Mahmud Bashar submitted two reports prepared by the DG of DGHS and office of inspector general (IG) of prisons, showing that there are 117 posts of doctors vacant in 68 prisons across the country.

In response to an HC query, DAG Bashar said the government had issued show cause notices to 16 doctors who did not join the posts despite directives to do so.

Five doctors gave satisfactory answers to the notice, and departmental cases were filed against the other 11, as their replies were not satisfactory, he told the court.