HC: Rural stint not required for batches from November ’11 to October ’17

The division bench of justices Dama Seshadri Naidu and BR Gavai was hearing petitions filed by 44 such candidates and provided relief to around 500 students through the ruling.

Students who took admission in undergraduate medical or dental courses in the state between November 2011 and October 2017 will not have to serve a one-year rural bond service to appear for admissions for postgraduate (PG) courses, the Bombay high court (HC) said on Tuesday.

Students who took admission in undergraduate medical or dental courses in the state between November 2011 and October 2017 will not have to serve a one-year rural bond service to appear for admissions for postgraduate (PG) courses, the Bombay high court (HC) said on Tuesday. (HT File Photo)

The division bench of justices Dama Seshadri Naidu and BR Gavai was hearing petitions filed by 44 such candidates and provided relief to around 500 students through the ruling.

The petitioners had challenged the validity of a government resolution (GR) of October 2017, that made it mandatory for medical students, even those who took admissions between November 2011 and October 2017, to serve a one-year internship in a state-run, civic or military hospital before seeking admission to PG medical courses in the state.

Until 2011, MBBS graduates had to compulsorily serve the one-year bond after completion of their degree, which was changed in November 2011, when the government allowed students to appear for PG entrance tests and if students got admission, they were allowed to serve the bond service after their PG course.

In October 2017, after finding that many students did not serve the bond-service after their PG course, the state went back on their 2011 decision and decided to make the rural stint compulsory for all graduates if they wanted to be eligible for PG entrance exams, or pay a fine of ₹10 lakh.

“We sought admission to MBBS at a time when this rule did not even exist and asking to serve the bond service for being eligible for PG entrance tests is unfair,” said a petitioner.

The HC, on Tuesday, ruled that “authorities cannot change and apply rules to the detriment of students who have proceeded to choose a career on the basis of the rules existing on the date of admission.” It further stated that all petitions filed by affected students is appropriate and deserve to be allowed.