Madras HC allows PG medicos plea, directs varsity to reschedule exams
court order
Chennai: The Madras High Court has rescheduled the Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Master of Surgery (MS) theory examinations set to be held from today, December 9, 2024. The court has instructed Dr. MGR Medical University in Tamil Nadu to revise the examination dates, providing medical students with an opportunity for better preparation.
In its ruling, the court noted that other universities had scheduled their examinations for later dates. The judges observed that what is paramount is the completion of various other years and that rescheduling of the exams would not stand in the way of the university completing courses as mandated by the National Medical Commission (NMC) by January 31, 2025.
The decision came after a writ petition was filed by a group of postgraduate students, who had raised the issue of a tight deadline to submit their thesis by November 29. With only ten days left to prepare for the theory exams, the students said it was unreasonable to have the theory exams scheduled in just over a week after thesis submissions, reports Career 360.
“The respondents are directed to fix any other date for conducting the said examination either during the last week of December 2024 or the 1st week of January 2025 by strictly following the time frame fixed by the National Medical Council in its Public Notice, dated 07.08.2024,” the official court order read. The court noted that other universities had rescheduled their examinations and deferred it to January 2025. Moreover, ordering to reschedule the exams would not inhibit the university from complying with the deadline given by the National Medical Commission which is up to January 31, 2025, to complete the process, reports the daily.
The Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors Association (TNRDA) has welcomed the court's decision, urging the university to implement additional reforms to foster a more equitable and less stressful academic environment for students.
“This judgment is a significant step toward addressing systemic issues in medical education. We express our gratitude to the judiciary for prioritizing the mental health and academic performance of postgraduate students,” the TNRDA stated in an official press release.
The Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors Association (TNRDA) made this request to the authorities while highlighting the lack of clarity on E-journal approvals, continuous corrections from external reviewers, no clarity regarding the practical examination dates, and repeated deadline extensions highlighting a pattern of recurring delays that disrupt academic timelines.
Apart from seeking a minimum gap of 3 to 4 weeks between the revised dissertation submission deadline and the theory examinations scheduled for December 9, 2024, the association has also requested the university authorities to provide a clarity on e-journal approvals and streamlining communications from external reviewers to reduce unnecessary delays. It has also demanded an immediate release of practical/clinical examination dates at the earliest.
