Bombay HC relief to doctors, JJ Hospital ordered to return documents without insisting on Rs 20 lakh bond
Bombay High Court
Mumbai: Granting major relief to 2 young doctors who resigned from Maharashtra govt-run JJ Hospital, the Bombay High Court vacation bench on Tuesday issued directions for returning original documents of these two doctors without insisting on the payment of Rs 20 lakh bond deposit.
Even though this dup had jouned the JJ Hospital for pursuing the MCh Neurosurgery course as junior doctors between June and August, they soon resigned on the grounds of alleged "unsanitary" living conditions at the hostel and sleep deprivation.
Filing the plea, the doctors urged the court for returning the documents, arguing that the documents were required for the next National Eligibility-cum-Entrance (NEET), which was scheduled on December 26-27.
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As per the latest media report by the Times of India, the two doctors, Swapnil Kopale, from Navi Mumbai and Pooja Modanwal, who hails from Lucknow filed the plea before High Court as they were aggrieved by the non-return of the original documents and being forced by the State to deposit Rs 20 lakh as a bond. The counsel for the doctors, Advocate Aditya Sanghi argued that the duo are brilliant doctors who were granted admission at Sir JJ Hospital as junior doctors in 2025 and they were also allotted a super-speciality seat in Neurosurgery at Grant Medical College.
However, the counsel further submitted that looking at the "deplorable and most pathetic condition of hostels where in 1 single room 5 students are made to sleep and there is no privacy for females in the hostels…" those two doctors resigned on November 17, 2025 and they demanded the return of their original docyments for appearing in NEET Super Speciality exam for getting entry to other colleges.
On the other hand, the college, represented by Additional govt Pleader, referred to the rules and clause of penalty and bond for non-completion of the junior residency tenure and argued that for a lapse of seat or admission cancellation after the cut-off, the students were required to pay Rs 20 lakh as bond deposit. It contended that the documents would be handed over to the doctors after the payment of penalty and the deposited fees amount would be non-refundable.
The State lawyer argued that the court could consider the doctors' plea for release of the documents, subject to the final order that may be passed in the plea.
Meanwhile, the petitioner, Dr Modanwal, submitted that they required the documents for NEET SS exam on December 26-27. She further submitted that she had cleared the entrance exam for All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and she could get admitted to the institute only by depositing all the original documents by December 31, 2025.
After considering the plea, the Bombay HC bench granted relief to the junior doctors and directed for returning the original documents to them without insisting on the payment of bond deposit.
The lawyer for Dr. Modanwal said that with the HC relief for immediate release of their documents, she can now secure her seat at AIIMS.
