Patna HC dismisses petition seeking age extension for appointment of Assistant Professors

The petitioner had contested the legality of Rule 7 of the Senior Resident/Tutor & Bihar Medical Education Service (Recruitment, Appointment, and Promotion) Rules, 2008, which sets the maximum age limit for unreserved candidates at 45 years, for other backward castes at 48 years, and for scheduled castes and tribes at 50 years, for the appointment to assistant professor positions in government medical colleges in Bihar, reports the Times of India.

Dr Nishant's counsel, Kumar Kaushik, argued that the state's age limit should match that set by the National Medical Commission (NMC), India's regulatory body for the medical profession and education. The NMC has established the maximum age limit for appointing assistant professors in medical colleges at 70 years. However, the court upheld the existing rules and dismissed the petition.

The age limit has been a persistent problem for many doctors. In a move that will bring relief to thousands of doctors wanting to start their careers in the field of medical education, the National Medical Commission (NMC) might soon do away with the age limit of 45 years prescribed for the initial appointment of the Senior Residents. The Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) of NMC examined the cases of the non-medical postgraduate students with MSC (Medical) degrees and decided to recommend to NMC abolishing the age limit of 45 years prescribed for the Senior Residents in the Teachers Eligibility Qualifications in Medical Institutions Regulations, 2022.