The completion of bond period for doctors and the consideration of covid duty and quarantine period as part of the bond service under the Tamil Nadu Medical Service Rules.

JUDGMENT

(Prayer in W.P.No.26 of 2024: Writ Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying to issue a Writ of Mandamus directing the Respondents to treat the Petitioner's two-year bond period as completed and to consequently relieve her from her bonded service in the Government District Headquarters Hospital, Karaikudi, Sivaganga District and to direct the 5 th Respondent to return her original certificates and documents collected during her Post-Graduate degree certificate, within a time limit to be stipulated by this Hon'ble Court.

In W.P.No.29 of 2024: Writ Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying to issue a Writ of Mandamus directing the Respondents to treat the Petitioner's two-year bond period as completed and to consequently relieve her from her bonded service in the Government Hospital, Kuttalam, Mayiladuthurai District and to direct the 5 th Respondent to return her original certificates and documents collected during her Post-Graduate degree certificate, within a time limit to be stipulated by this Hon'ble Court.)

Common Order

1. Heard Ms.K.Dhivyashree, learned counsel for the petitioners and Mr.Vadivelu Deenadayalan, learned Additional Government Pleader and Ms.Jhanavi.M, learned counsel for Ms.Shubaranjani Ananth, learned counsel for the State.

2. I have considered an identical prayer as in the present Writ Petitions in W.P.No.28238 of 2023 and have held as follows: The petitioner is a Doctor, who had completed Post Graduation in General Medicine from KAP Viswanathan Medical College in the non service category. He had completed the course in May, 2022 and had, at the time of admission to the course, executed a bond for a sum of Rs.40 lakhs undertaking that he would serve the State for a period of two years after completion of the course. The bond period, admittedly, runs till 31.05.2024. 2. Within a few months of commencing the course, the Covid 19 pandemic had struck and the petitioner, and, in fact several other identically / similarly placed candidates, were required to be on covid duty in R5 Hospital. Though no appointment orders could be issued seeing as the petitioner was a student then, his services during the covid period is not disputed as duty sheets for the service rendered have duly been produced by the petitioner and verified by the respondent counsel.

3. The question as to whether covid duty would constitute in-bond service is no longer res integra having been considered and accepted by two learned Judges in W.P.No.26556 of 2022 (decision dated 02.02.2023) and W.P.No.22894 of 2023 (decision dated 08.09.2023). In these cases, the petitioners were students who were required to perform covid duty during their course and this Court has held, and I concur with these decisions, that the covid duty rendered by the students should be taken note of as service during the bond period.

4. An additional question that arises in this case is as to whether quarantine relatable to covid period is also be taken as bond service. The period of quarantine is, in my considered view, nothing but an extension of covid duty itself as the Rules prevalent then required mandatory quarantine. The petitioner would well have continued with the duty in the covid ward itself has it not been for the mandate of compulsory quarantine. Thus, taking the period of quarantine also as on-duty, such period in this case is quantified as 150 days. On-duty call sheets duly signed by the Dean of R5 college have been produced by the petitioner. This will advance the closure of bond period to 02.01.2024 from 31.05.2024.

5. The petitioner's request for a mandamus directing the respondents to treat compulsory bond period as concluding on 02.01.2024 is accepted. R5 is directed, upon completion of bond period on 02.01.2024, to return to the petitioner, his origina