Madhya Pradesh HC allows 8 doctors to sit for PRE-PG exam despite incomplete internship

In a significant relief to eight medical graduates, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted them permission to sit for the Pre-Postgraduate (Pre-PG) medical entrance examination even though they hadn't completed the internship period so far. The order, which was passed sometime earlier this week, has been welcomed as a timely intervention by the physicians who were in danger of losing eligibility to sit for the test on account of exceptional circumstances.

Pre-PG exam is a vital stepping stone for doctors who have aspirations to seek postgraduate courses of specialisation and hence is a matter of high stakes in a highly competitive world. The doctors had approached court after the authorities had labelled them ineligible following their being found to lack completion of internship status—a requirement otherwise mandatory.

Referencing circumstances outside their control, i.e., bureaucratic or systemic inefficiencies resulting in delays, the petitioners contended that debarment from the exam would not only deprive them of their education and professional development but also be unjust in consideration of the break they experienced.

In its judgment, the High Court firmly reiterated the tension between procedural compliance and fairness. Even though the court was reluctant to uphold the regime of regulation calling for completion of internship, the court acknowledged that in exceptional circumstances—i.e., where delay is not students' fault—there is sufficient good cause to exercise discretion not to inflict unreasonable hardship.

The court order has permitted the eight doctors to sit for the examination on a provisional basis. The authorities have been asked to make no permanent admissions or appointments until and unless the doctors complete the internship as requested.

Health care workers and students throughout the state have greeted the ruling as a compassionate response in a system that has been attacked as rigid. Legal analysts note that while the ruling is temporary, it also maintains the principle that educational regulations must be applied discreetly and exceptions only to actual cases.

With the doctors available to sit their Pre-PG exams, the case has touched off broader controversy over policy modifications required to respond to unforeseen delays in medical training so as not to threaten any student's career due to circumstances beyond them.