A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Devinder Gupta and Justice K S Gupta - on whose direction the faculty of AIIMS (FAAIMS) ended its 17-day strike, said the order on a certain interim direction to the Central Government would be given on March 3.

The court made it clear that it was not adjudicating on the salary dispute between the doctors and the Centre when government counsel Rakesh Tiku suggested that the court's power to issue directions on the salary aspect was "limited".

"The issue before us is what was the reason for the strike and that similar situation does not arise again," it said.

During the arguments Tiku said at least three months' time should be given to a group of ministers which is seized ofthe matter.FAIIMS counsel Rekha Palli told the court that the government, by its February 26 notification, had approved the same scales to the faculties of IITs, Indian Institute of Management, Indian Institute of Sciences, National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Indian School of Mines and Indian Institute of Information Technology Management.

Last week itself the doctors concluded their strike which crippled medical services in the Capital. But now they hope that the court order will help them in realising their dream of better payscales and better working conditions.