The Karnataka High Court has ruled that a super-specialty qualified doctor cannot be expected to remain idle and refrain from working when posting orders are not issued despite the doctor reporting to the government. The court observed that requiring a postgraduate doctor who availed of the in-service quota for admission to a super-specialty course to remain indebted to the government for the rest of their official life, even in the absence of posting orders, is not acceptable. The ruling came while a division bench partially upheld an earlier order that had quashed show-cause notices issued in 2022 by a government medical college and institute over alleged unauthorized absence.

The court noted that the doctor had reported to the government after completing the course and requested posting orders, but none were issued. The government and the medical institute subsequently contended that…