Chennai: The Madras High Court has dismissed the pleas of two doctors who sought an extension of the deadline to join government service due to their ongoing super speciality medical courses. The Court held that the circumstances cited by the petitioners did not qualify as “special circumstances” under the law and thus, no extension could be granted.
Doctors Cite Ongoing Studies as Reason for Delay
The two doctors—one pursuing a D.M. in Neonatology and the other an M.Ch in Vascular Surgery, both at Madras Medical College—requested that their deadline to join government service as Assistant Surgeons be extended until the completion of their courses in April and May 2025. The appointment order had been issued on February 25, 2025, by the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
Both had executed bonds worth ₹25–₹50 lakh agreeing not to abandon their super speciality training midway.
Court Cites Lack of ‘Exceptional Circumstances’
Justice C.V. Karthikeyan, while rejecting their plea, ruled that the extension of time to join duty can only be granted under exceptional or special circumstances—particularly those that arise after the date of the appointment notification. The Court emphasized that the doctors’ ongoing courses were not unforeseen events, as they had enrolled in them prior to the job offer.
“Any special circumstance should be one which had arisen after the issuance of notification,” the judge noted. The Court also declared a prior order from the Madurai Bench, which had granted similar relief, as per incuriam (a decision rendered in ignorance of a relevant law or precedent).
Legal Basis: Tamil Nadu Government Servants Act
As per Section 7(5) of the Tamil Nadu Government Servants (Conditions of Service) Act, 2016, selected candidates must join duty within three months from the order or lose their appointment. A maximum extension of six months is allowed only under special circumstances.
The Court observed that permitting such exemptions for reasons known well in advance would defeat the intent of the Act and potentially block opportunities for other deserving candidates ready to serve in rural areas.
Past Cases Cited
The ruling comes shortly after a similar case where the HC also denied a six-month extension to a doctor seeking to complete her postgraduate course, stating the request lacked validity and could deprive others of job opportunities.
Conclusion
With this decision, the Madras High Court has reinforced the limited and strictly conditional nature of joining date extensions for government medical posts—underscoring that exceptions must stem from unforeseen and exceptional events, not pre-planned academic commitments.
