- The Rajasthan High Court denied relief to a medical student who failed MBBS for 14 years
- The student joined NIMS University in 2010 but never cleared his final professional exams
- The court ruled sympathy or financial loss cannot justify lowering medical education standards
The Rajasthan High Court has refused to grant relief to a medical student who could not complete his MBBS course even after 14 years, saying that sympathy or financial loss cannot be the basis for allowing someone to become a doctor.
A division bench of Justice Arun Monga and Justice Manish Sharma dismissed the appeal filed by Sheikh Tauriq, who had sought permission to appear for his remaining MBBS examinations.
According to the court records, the student took admission to the National Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) University, Jaipur, in 2010. However, by 2024, he had still not cleared his final professional examination.
During the course of his studies, the student appeared for several examinations from the first year to the final year but continued to fail. Even by 2020, he had not passed key subjects such as Medicine and Gynaecology.
The court observed that the student's inability to complete the course despite getting repeated opportunities over 14 years showed that he had failed to achieve the minimum academic standards required to earn an MBBS degree.
The student's lawyer argued that when he joined the course in 2010, there was no maximum time limit for completing MBBS. The counsel submitted that the National Medical Commission's 2019 regulations, which introduced a 10-year limit for completing the course, should not be applied retrospectively to his case.
During the hearing, the High Court had earlier passed an interim order on January 30, 2024, allowing the student one final chance to appear for the examination. However, the result, which was submitted to the court in a sealed cover, showed that he had failed once again.
In its judgment, the High Court stressed that an MBBS degree is not just an academic qualification but a responsibility directly linked to patients' lives. The bench said that public interest and minimum educational standards cannot be compromised.
The court also observed that if a patient came to know that the doctor treating them had repeatedly failed to complete the MBBS course despite multiple opportunities, it could naturally raise concerns about the doctor's competence.
Rejecting the plea, the court said that financial investment or personal hardship cannot outweigh public safety, and candidates who fail to meet the required academic standards cannot be allowed to practise medicine.
