College graduates seek exemption from rural service, SC asks, 'No obligation of nation building?'

The Supreme Court on Wednesday, while hearing a petition by five MBBS students, posed a query can a medical student, who is about to graduate, seek exemption from rendering one-year public rural service just because they studied at a private medical college? 

A vacation bench comprising justices PS Narasimha and Sanjay Karol was hearing a petition filed by five MBBS students who are graduating from private seats of a deemed university in Karnataka. 

What's their demands? 

In fact, the medical students have demanded in the petition that since they have studied medicine from a private medical college, they should be exempted from one year of compulsory rural service. The petition demands that the Supreme Court direct the Office of the Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Services, Government of Karnataka, to issue NOC to students without giving an affidavit of compulsory rural service.

Permanent registration to the petitioners

The petitioners' counsel, Meenakshi Kalra, demanded that the Supreme Court direct the Karnataka Medical Council to grant permanent registration to the petitioners. On the petition, the Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Karnataka government and others and sought their response.

Here's what SC said? 

During this, the Supreme Court bench made an important comment and said, 'Should you be allowed to work in rural areas just because you have studied from a private institution?' The bench said, 'You go to various places in the country and work in different rural areas, how good it is to do so.' The bench asked, 'Don't students studying in private institutions have any responsibility to contribute to nation building?'

Karnataka Compulsory Service Training Act, 2012

It is noteworthy that the Karnataka Government had enacted Karnataka Compulsory Service Training Act, 2012 and Karnataka Compulsory Service Training Rules, 2015 for students completing medical studies. Under this, all medical students studying from government seats in government institutions and government universities are required to practice in rural areas for one year. Karnataka Medical Council grants permanent registration to doctors only after one year of rural service.