The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a petition filed by a 25-year-old candidate seeking a fresh medical evaluation for recruitment into the Indian Army, ruling that re-examination by a Review Medical Board is not an entitlement and citing the demanding physical standards required of armed forces personnel.
In an order dated September 17, Justice C M Poonacha declined to invoke the court’s extraordinary discretionary jurisdiction to grant relief to Monish N Aradhya, observing that decisions of the Appellate Medical Board cannot be challenged as a matter of right given the rigorous operational conditions of military service.
Disqualification Despite High Merit Standing
Aradhya applied to join the Indian Army earlier this year and secured the 51st rank on the merit list following the written examination. However, his induction was blocked during the medical evaluation stage when the Special Medical Board declared him unfit due to an underdeveloped left kidney and other medical grounds.
The candidate appealed the finding before the Appellate Medical Board, which conducted a re-examination in July and reaffirmed his disqualification on the same grounds regarding the size of his left kidney. Following the rejection of an August 10 representation requesting a Review Medical Board, Aradhya approached the High Court seeking judicial intervention.
Conflicting Diagnostic Records Before the Bench
Appearing for the petitioner, advocate K S Ponnappa presented medical reports from private hospitals and diagnostic facilities to contest the findings. Among these was an ultrasound report from Manipal Hospital indicating that the petitioner’s left kidney measured between 7.7 cm and 8 cm.
Countering the plea, Additional Solicitor General Aravind Kamath, representing the respondents, submitted that the Appellate Medical Board evaluated the candidate using an advanced triple-phase CECT scan. Kamath stated that this diagnostic imaging technique provides greater precision than standard ultrasound examinations and established that the petitioner’s left kidney measured 7 cm.
Strict Regulatory Standards Upheld
Under the armed forces’ Manual of Medical Standards, any persistent structural or functional renal abnormality discovered during clinical assessment disqualifies a candidate. The regulations specifically stipulate that a shrunken kidney measuring under 8 cm on either side on an ultrasound serves as grounds for rejection.
The court accepted that the CECT scan relied upon by the appellate board yields more accurate findings than an ultrasound. In dismissing the petition, the bench observed that every scan report submitted on behalf of the petitioner recorded the size of the left kidney as 8 cm or less, with no report demonstrating a measurement exceeding that threshold. Because military recruitment rules mandate rejection when the organ measures less than 8 cm, the court held that disqualification was justified.
Petitioner to Challenge Ruling
Following the dismissal of the petition, advocate Ponnappa confirmed that the candidate plans to challenge the single-judge bench order through an appeal.
