The Patna High Court has dismissed petitions challenging the mandatory Aadhaar-based facial biometric attendance system and GPS location sharing for faculty members working in medical colleges and hospitals. The court made it clear that the arrangement does not violate the fundamental right to privacy and cannot be termed unconstitutional.
Hearing the petitions filed by Dr Shyam Kumar and other petitioners, a single bench of Justice Vivek Chaudhary observed that the system had been implemented with the objective of ensuring “good governance and accountability.” The court held that such technological measures are necessary to maintain discipline in medical education and healthcare services.
The petitioner doctors had challenged a public notice issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) on April 16, 2025, which made it mandatory for faculty members in all medical colleges across the country to mark attendance through Aadhaar-based facial authentication, along with sharing their GPS location.
The doctors argued that the system violated their rights to privacy, freedom, and dignity guaranteed under Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution. They had also expressed concerns that the requirement could pose risks to personal data security and lead to possible misuse.
The High Court rejected these arguments. In its ruling, the court noted that biometric attendance systems are already in place in several medical colleges across the country, and that a system cannot be declared unconstitutional merely on the basis of speculative apprehensions. The court further underlined that the NMC is a statutory body empowered to ensure quality, transparency, and discipline in medical education.
However, the court also conveyed an important message to the government and the NMC. It observed that merely implementing an attendance system would not be sufficient to improve the healthcare system. Filling vacant positions in medical teaching services in a time-bound manner is equally essential. The court directed state governments and the NMC to take concrete steps in this regard.
It is noteworthy that the issue had earlier triggered protests by doctors in Bihar. The Bihar Health Association had launched an agitation against the system, and in several places doctors had announced strikes and boycotts of OPD services, causing inconvenience to patients.
Following the Patna High Court’s verdict, it is now clear that the Aadhaar-based facial biometric attendance and GPS-based monitoring system in medical colleges and hospitals will continue. The move is being seen as an important step towards enhancing transparency and accountability in health administration.
