'Life very alluring': Why SC rejected doctors’ plea against transfer from Bengaluru; a 'privileged class' observation

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to hear a plea by a group of government doctors challenging their transfer orders from Bengaluru, remarking that the city's cosmopolitan lifestyle is “very alluring” but not grounds to resist relocation. A bench comprising Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and K Vinod Chandran observed that there was no prejudice caused by transferring the doctors out of Bengaluru. "The cosmopolitan life of Bangalore is very alluring. The others areas of Karnataka are also developed. You are a privileged class of society. If you will oppose transfer what will happen to others. We are not inclined to entertain the appeal," the bench said, according to news agency PTI. The court was hearing a petition filed by doctors against the Karnataka State Civil Services (Regulation of Transfer of Medical Officers and other Staff) Rules, 2025, which govern the transfer of medical personnel in the state's Health and Family Welfare Department. Earlier, the Karnataka high court had refused to stay the implementation of the 2025 rules. The high court noted that the rules were framed under the powers granted by Section 12 of the Karnataka State Civil Services (Regulation of Transfer of Medical Officers and other Staff) Act, 2011, which does not prescribe any specific time gap between the publication of draft rules and their finalisation.

The petitioners argued that the government provided only a week's time to submit objections to the draft rules, which they claimed was inadequate. They also contended that the draft rules made no mention of "Greater Bengaluru" and that its inclusion in the final notification was impermissible under the law.