The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) told the Bombay High Court yesterday that henceforth they will not go on strike and will protest, if required, peacefully while abiding by the law. Since the doctors had also raised concerns about their safety, the state told the court that it would hire 896 more guards for hospitals across the state.

In the last hearing, the HC bench comprising Justices Abhay Oka and Prakash Naik had asked the doctors not to resort to strikes. “Now that a proper grievance redressal cell is in place, you should approach them with your problems and not strike and put the patients’ lives in jeopardy,” said Justice Oka, while demanding an affidavit from the MARD promising that.