DIVYA.K.S Vs. STATE OF KERALA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This writ appeal was filed by some students who enrolled in the M.Sc Nursing Degree Course at various Government Nursing Colleges in the State during the academic year 2022-23 and 2023-24. They challenged a Government Order dtd. 11/7/2024 in the writ petition, which mandated a compulsory one-year teaching internship upon the execution of a bond. By the said order, the Government decided to engage students who enrolled from the academic year 2022 -23 onwards and successfully completed the M.Sc. Nursing course as bonded lecturers, with a stipend of ?25,000/-. According to them, this is a violation of the Indian Nursing Council directives.

(2.) It is appropriate to refer to the relevant portion of the guidelines issued by the Indian Nursing Council regarding bond system for the M.Sc. Nursing programme, which state as follows:

(3.) The learned Single Judge was not persuaded by the argument of the writ petitioners and, taking note of the judgment of the Apex Court in Association of Medical Super Speciality Aspirants and Residents and Ors. v. Union of India and Others [(2019) 8 SCC 607] and the judgment of the Division Bench of this Court in Aiysha Beegum(Dr.) and others v. State of Kerala and others [2018 (2) KLT 471], repelled the challenge. The impugned judgment of the learned Single Judge is challenged in this appeal by some of the writ petitioners.