List steps taken to fill medical officer vacancies, Health dept told

A division bench comprising Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad offered the direction while hearing a Public Interest Litigation seeking to declare the clause of the prospectus for admission to postgraduate degree/diploma courses for 2019-2020 session, which requires furnishing two sureties from permanent government employees as arbitrary.

However, the Health and Family Welfare Department in its counter had submitted that though the government spends huge amount on every postgraduate student while there is no guarantee that on completion of the course the candidate would be employed in government service.

It was also contended that none of the non-service applicants, who have been selected, have objected to such a condition and that all the candidates selected on the basis of inter se merit have executed bond/surety as per clause 38 (d) and (h) of the prospectus issued for the academic year 2019-2020.

The present notification has been issued for the selection of 1761 PG diploma and PG degree seats, including 50 per cent of seats to Central government for allotting the candidates on All India basis.

Advocate General Vijay Narayan while submitting a list of candidates selected, said that similar provision directing bank guarantee and sureties imposed by States of Kerala and Himachal Pradesh has been upheld. However, the issue of insisting government sureties would be discussed with the department, he said. The plea has been posted for further hearing to June 17.