MADURAI: The educational certificates of a person cannot be retained for any reason and institutions cannot claim lien over the certificates, observed the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently, and directed Government Thanjavur Medical College to return the original certificates and documents of a medical student by considering his Covid duty as bond service.
Justice GR Swaminathan granted the relief to Wanbor Sungoh, who had completed his PG course at the medical college in April 2022.
Sungoh, a non-service candidate when he joined the course, had executed a bond undertaking to serve the Tamil Nadu government for two years after the completion of the course, which was later reduced to one year. However, Suhirth Parthasarathy, Sungoh’s counsel, submitted the student’s Covid duty should be treated as bond service.
In light of the order passed by the first bench, the HC declared that Covid duty shall be treated as bond service, and added that one’s educational certificates cannot be retained for any reason.