The vacation Bench of the Telangana High Court, headed by Justice J. Sreenivas Rao, directed the State not to impose the joining guidelines for eight weeks on 46 super-speciality doctors, who filed a writ petition
Hyderabad:The vacation Bench of the Telangana High Court, headed by Justice J. Sreenivas Rao, directed the State not to impose the joining guidelines for eight weeks on 46 super-speciality doctors, who filed a writ petition. The doctors sought the release of their original certificates and challenged the compulsory government service mandated under the government order (GO) dated September 6, 2017.
The writ petition was filed by Dr Srirangam Vamshi and others, all of whom completed DM/MCh courses. Senior counsel L. Ravichander, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that their original certificates were being withheld to enforce a two-year compulsory government service, even though some had already completed the requirement or worked in other states.
He argued that the doctors were coerced into signing surety bonds at admission, with the threat of seat cancellation if they refused. The bond policy, which imposes a `50 lakh penalty for non-compliance, was described as arbitrary and unconstitutional. The petitioners also contended that the GO contradicts the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) recommendation dated October 27, 2021, which advised against such bonds and mandatory rural service.
It was further submitted that neither the Telangana Medical Practitioners Act nor the PG Medical Education Regulations, 2023, provides for compulsory bonds or certificate retention. Citing earlier orders in similar cases, the senior counsel urged the court to suspend the GO, release the certificates, and issue NOCs allowing registration in other states. Taking note of the submissions, the court stayed the May 27 joining deadline for eight weeks and posted the matter after vacation.
