Rural Service Mandatory for Private College Medicos? Supreme Court to Probe

The petition of exemption from mandatory rural service has been filed by five MBBS students enrolled in a deemed university in Karnataka. 

Supreme Courts have agreed to examine whether private medical college students would be exempted from rendering one-year public rural service for the fact they have studied in private medical colleges. The bench consisting of Justices P S Narasimha and Sanjay Karol have passed the judgement to probe into the matter in lieu of a plea filed by a medical student. 

Challenge Against Karnataka Government Decision

Reportedly, the student challenged the Karnataka government's decision of mandatory one-year compulsory public rural service for all medicos in order to be eligible for permanent registration with the Karnataka Medical Council. 

Consequently, the bench has questioned the petitioner why any relaxation shall be granted to private medical college students, as reported by TOI. 

SC Questioned Petitioner 

"What is wrong? Private (institution) people have no obligation to nation-building? Just because you go and study in a private hospital, or a private law college, do you have an exemption from working in rural areas? What is this which gives you an exemption just because you studied in a private medical college that you cannot work in rural areas?" the bench questioned the petitioner.

Consequently, the petitioner's lawyer testified that she, along with private medical college students did not receive subsidised medical education as students of government medical college students. Thus, she should be exempted from the compulsory one-year public rural service rule. 

Meanwhile, an MBBS student from Kasturba Medical College has approached the Karnataka High Court stating that despite the revocation of compulsory bond conditions for private medical college students, the student was allegedly forced to sign an affidavit for compulsory rural service for one year. 

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