Hyderabad, June 30 -- A medical college cannot hold on to a doctor's original educational certificates simply because he failed to honour a service bond signed at the time of admission, the Telangana High Court has ruled, directing that all such documents be returned to him within a week.

A division bench of Justices K Lakshman and BR Madhusudhan Rao was hearing an appeal by a doctor who had completed his super-specialty course but was denied his original certificates by the college on the ground that he had not fulfilled a commitment to serve in government hospitals afterwards.

The High Court made clear that even if a student breaches such a bond, the institution has no legal right to keep the certificates as leverage. If the college b...