Supreme Court says it will frame guiding principles for compulsory rural service by medical students

27 October 2026

A Bench of Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe said it is inclined to lay down guiding principles, based on constitutional principles, for compulsory rural service by medical students across the country. The case, Ashish Redu v. Government of Karnataka, challenges the Karnataka Compulsory Service Training by Candidates Completed Medical Courses Act, 2012 and the Rules of 2015, which require one year of compulsory public rural service before a no-objection certificate is issued, making a candidate eligible for permanent registration with the Karnataka Medical Council. A notification of 28 July 2023 extended the requirement to candidates on private seats in private and deemed universities. Justice Narasimha described a policy deficit because the Union's stand was unclear, and said the Court's suggestion is not a mandate: the question is whether rural service is a necessary principle for national health, while how to implement it, by bond or by regulation, is separate. He linked the right to health to the State's obligation under Article 21. Senior Advocate Raju Ramachandran is assisting the Court as amicus curiae. The Court referred to its 2018 decision in Association of Medical Super Speciality Aspirants and Residents v. Union of India, which had suggested a uniform policy, and listed the matter for the following week, asking the Union to clarify whether it intends to frame a policy and whom it would consult.