MP HC clears MBBS graduate’s path to secure degree after 13-year wait over domicile row

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has allowed Shailja Pandey, whose MBBS admission was cancelled over a domicile issue in 2013, to receive her degree and marksheet. The court also directed the National Medical Commission to assess her eligibility for medical practice

Jabalpur: Thirteen years after a woman completed her MBBS, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has cleared the way for her to obtain her degree and pursue medical practice, stalled after her admission was cancelled over a domicile issue.

Treating the petition as a special case, a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Pradeep Mittal on Wednesday set aside the June 13, 2013 order cancelling Shailja Pandey’s admission and directed Rani Durgavati University, Jabalpur, to issue her marksheet and degree.

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Pandey had fairly disclosed all facts about her residence in Madhya Pradesh, the court observed, adding that action could have been taken at the time of her admission rather than after she completed her studies.

“On the basis of this degree, the petitioner will be entitled to practice in the medical field, but the fact remains that she completed her studies in the year 2013, and now more than 13 years have passed,” the court said in its order.

Pandey could not practice during this period because she did not have her degree or registration with the medical regulator, the HC noted.

In her petition, Pandey said the college raised the objection over her domicile midway through the MBBS course, although she had secured admission after furnishing a domicile certificate issued by the competent authority.

The court observed that the issuing authority should have examined whether she had studied for at least three years at an educational institution in Madhya Pradesh, but treated this additional requirement as the main condition while issuing the domicile certificate.

Pandey could not be blamed for the authority’s action, the high court said.

The action taken after she had completed her studies could have been taken at the time of admission, the HC opined.

It said that obtaining the degree would establish her qualification as a doctor, but she would require registration under the applicable regulations to practice medicine.

The court directed the National Medical Commission to examine whether Pandey was fit to practice after the long gap since completing her MBBS course.

If required, the commission may direct the medical university to conduct a special examination or test to determine whether she was fit and eligible to practice, the court said, directing the authorities to complete the exercise within three months.