The Madras High Court has issued notice to Tamil Nadu government on a writ petition questioning the imposition of three years of compulsory service in government hospitals for doctors who had completed Post Graduate courses.

Admitting the petition, Justice M Sathyanarayanan, who ordered notice to the state government, posted the matter for further hearing to May 27.

The petitioner, K K Ravishankar, a doctor, sought to quash an order dated June 12, 2007 of the Department of Health and Family Welfare calling upon non-service PG candidates, who joined PG courses in 2005 to fill up vacancies of assistant surgeons in government hospitals and medical colleges.

The petitioner, who did a two-year MD (Pediatrics) course at Kilpauk Medical College here, also sought the return of his original certificates and mark statements by the college.

Mr Ravishankar submitted that in 2006, he had joined the Masters Degree course in Pediatrics. Subsequently, the Dean of KMC, asked him to execute a bond as stated in the Tamil Nadu PG Prospectus in 2005-2006, clause 68 (d) to serve the state government for a period of not less than three years after the completion of the PG course.

The terms of the bond imputed that PG students, together with two sureties jointly and severally, bind themselves to pay the state government Rs three lakh with interest in the event of absence by the candidate. Left with no other option, students, including himself, had executed the bond, he contended.

In April 2008 after completion of the course the petitioner wanted to pursue a super speciality course, Doctorate in Medicine in Cardiology offered by Delhi University. For this purpose, he had applied to the KMC for release of his original documents. But the college refused to oblige.

UNI