Doctors' body seeks reinstatement of PGIMER DM resident denied stipend, exit exam over resignation row

Chandigarh: A senior resident pursuing DM Intensive Care Medicine at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI Chandigarh) has remained out of service since October 15, 2024, with his stipend withheld and permission to appear for the DM Final Exit Examination denied, following a dispute over the acceptance of his resignation.

Demanding his immediate reinstatement, the Democratic Medical Association has written to PGIMER Director Prof. Vivek Lal, requesting restoration of his stipend, and permission for him to appear in the next available DM Final Exit Examination.

According to the representation, the doctor, who was serving as President of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) during a nationwide resident doctors' agitation, submitted his resignation via email at 12:52 am on October 15, 2024, under what the association described as extraordinary circumstances. However, it said he withdrew the resignation in writing at 11:10 am the same day, before any acceptance had been communicated to him.

The association alleged that although PGIMER issued an order accepting his resignation dated October 15, 2024, it was communicated only on October 18, after his withdrawal request had already been submitted.

Allegations timeline

In March 2024, soon after being elected ARD President, the doctor demanded transparency over the missing funds. He claimed this led to threats, casteist remarks, and false complaints against him.

"I was democratically elected as President of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) by more than 1100 residents, marking the start of retaliation, humiliation, and social isolation - particularly because I started exposing financial irregularities and refused to compromise on ethics," the doctor said in an email.

He further stated, "Upon assuming office, I began seeking transparency regarding 2.5 crores in unaccounted expenses by the previous ARD team (2022- 23), which had not been audited per ARD by-laws. I raised this officially, and immediately began facing retaliation, including threats to stay silent."

In August 2024, a non-resident student filed a ragging complaint against him. PGIMER’s internal committee reportedly found no evidence, but no final report was released. An RTI reply in 2025 allegedly falsely stated that “no complaint was received,” which he says proves a cover-up.

In October 2024, after a female resident was assaulted in the Emergency OPD, the resident doctor and his colleagues sought an FIR. He alleged that the Director abused him publicly, calling him a “nonsense moron”. The next day, media reports blamed him for the service disruption. Afterwards, residents and nurses gave statements in his support.

On October 15, 2024, he claimed he resigned at 1 AM under pressure but withdrew the resignation at 11 AM. PGIMER allegedly retroactively accepted the resignation, ignoring his withdrawal.

Despite withdrawal of the resignation within eleven hours, PGIMER accepted it on 15 October 2024, stopped the doctor’s stipend from the same date, denied him permission to appear in the DM Final Exit Examination, and later rejected his request to withdraw the resignation by order dated 20 January 2025.

The matter subsequently reached the Punjab & Haryana High Court, the Supreme Court, and is presently pending before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Chandigarh Bench in O.A. No. 226 of 2026.

Official CAT records further note that on 30 April 2026, the Joint Registrar recorded that PGIMER’s reply had “not been filed despite sufficient opportunities being granted.” Even on 7 July 2026, no reply had been filed, following which the Tribunal granted another opportunity and listed the matter for 10 August 2026.

The doctor has filed multiple complaints with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), National OBC Commission, UGC National Anti-Ragging Cell, and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, attaching audio recordings, emails, and documents as proof.

In those emails, he alleged continuous blackmail and mental torture between April and September 2024, hate speech and caste-based humiliation in official meetings, denial of academic opportunities, including refusal of permission to present his research at an international conference despite having the department's approval and attempts to force him into an unconditional apology and withdrawal of complaints.

DMA demands

With four DM Final Exit Examination cycles already missed, the association pointed out that the prolonged pendency has effectively stalled the specialist’s career.

The association also demanded a fair reconsideration of the matter in the interest of justice, equity, and public healthcare, along with other demands.

National President, DMA, Dr Amit Vyas stated that prolonged administrative delays cannot be allowed to derail the career of a young superspeciality doctor. He said that when judicial records themselves note repeated opportunities without a reply, the institution must act with urgency and fairness instead of allowing the matter to linger.

National General Secretary Dr Solanki said that every day of delay is causing irreparable professional loss. He urged PGIMER to take a humane and time-bound approach, stating that procedural inaction should never become a punishment in itself.

PGIMER’s stand, as reflected in its affidavit before the High Court, is that the resignation was voluntarily tendered and accepted in accordance with applicable rules. However, its detailed defence before the CAT is yet to be filed, as recorded in the Tribunal’s orders.

Also read- PGI resident doctor alleges harassment, institutional vendetta for questioning missing Rs 2.5 crore