The Karnataka High Court recently passed a notice in an appeal by medical students probing the legitimacy of the Karnataka Compulsory Service by Candidates Complete Medical Courses Act 2012 (Compulsory Act) which impels applicants having completed their medical education to furnish rural service for one year. A Bench of Justice R Devdas looked for the feedbacks of the Central and State governments on an appeal filed by forty-four students who are currently in the final year of their MBBS course. The petition further mentioned that the supreme court had questioned the Central government to frame a uniform policy on compulsory government service as many States had no such service. In this context, the petitioner asserted that the State cannot impose such service as such a power is now vested only with the NMC.
Apart from the rationality of the Act, the suitors have also demanded the rationality of the notification dated February 15, 2021, passed by the Directorate of Medical Education, administering colleges to hold back all original documents of students having completed their medical course. The appeal filed by Dr.Sharanya Mohan and forty-three others, through their advocate Manik BT, demanded the rationality of the Compulsory Act.