Karnataka HC slams medical college for retaining original documents of medico

Bengaluru: In a significant verdict, which involves not only medical colleges but all the educational institutes in the country; the Karnataka High Court has reiterated that no college or university has the authority to retain original documents of any individual or students.

The ruling came as a byline during the hearing of a petition filed by the Ballari -based medical practitioner, Dr T K Reshma who completed her medical education from the Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Sciences, the respondent in the case.

In her petition, the doctor had alleged that the Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Sciences retained some of her documents on the account that she had given an undertaking to serve in rural areas after graduating.

Disappointed by the same, the doctor moved the State High Court against the medical institute seeking court’s directive on returning her original documents submitted at the time of joining. These documents include mark sheets or degree certificates.

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However, while defending its claim, the medical institute failed to point out as to how it could retain her original documents. It neither cited any rule in the support of its actions.

The New Indian Express reports that taking note of the said contentions; the High Court bench issued the direction to the institute to return the documents to the petitioner doctor and strikingly held,

“All the original documents relating to educational qualifications are very important to the petitioner/citizen to press his claim for employment or higher education or otherwise. To retain such documents, the authority of law is necessary and no such authority has been shown. Hence, this writ petition succeeds.”

Earlier, during a similar issue at Chintpurni Medical college, when the medicos were hustling to get their original documents back from the institute, the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), Punjab, had stated that medical institutions in the state had no legal right to keep the original certificates of students with them.

Read Also: Give Our Original Certificates Back: MBBS students tell Chintpurni Medical College