Karnataka High Court Upholds Rejection of Army Aspirant Over Small Kidney Size

The Karnataka High Court has upheld the dismissal of a petition filed by a 25-year-old Indian Army aspirant seeking a Review Medical Board (RMB) examination after being declared medically unfit due to the size of his left kidney. The candidate, Monish N Aradhya, had secured the 51st rank in the merit list but was denied further consideration on medical grounds.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice K S Hemalekha dismissed his appeal in an order dated October 29. The court observed that it could not examine the merits of a decision taken by the competent medical authority under Article 226 of the Constitution unless there was evidence of arbitrariness.

Aradhya had applied to join the Indian Army earlier this year. Following the written examination, the Special Medical Board (SMB) declared him medically unfit due to a small left kidney and other medical grounds. He subsequently approached the Appellate Medical Board (AMB), which reaffirmed the finding in July.

After his request for a review by an RMB was rejected on August 10, he approached the High Court. A single-judge bench had dismissed his petition on September 17, prompting him to file an appeal before the division bench.

Medical Standards and Court’s Observations on Kidney Size

The petitioner's counsel relied on medical reports from various hospitals and diagnostic centres, including Manipal Hospital, which recorded the left kidney's size between 7.7 and 8 centimetres.

Under the Manual of Medical Standards for entry into the Armed Forces, a persistent structural or functional abnormality of the kidney lasting more than three months can render a candidate medically unfit. The standards also prescribe rejection where an ultrasound examination reveals shrunken kidneys measuring less than 8 centimetres on either side.

However, the Additional Solicitor General, representing the respondents, submitted that the AMB had conducted a triple-phase Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography (CECT) scan. The advanced diagnostic examination recorded the petitioner's left kidney at 7 centimetres.

The High Court held that the medical authority's decision could not be considered arbitrary or unreasonable in view of the CECT findings. It therefore refused to direct another medical examination, reaffirming the importance of prescribed medical standards for recruitment into the Armed Forces.