The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University is bound to conduct an Instant Supplementary Examinations (ISE) within 30 days of the publication of the first year MBBS examination phase-1 results, as decided by its governing council in March this year, the Madras High Court said on Friday.
The ISE results should be published within two weeks from the last date of the examination to enable those who have passed to join the second year MBBS course along with the regular batch.
The First Bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice R.K. Agrawal and Justice N. Paul Vasanthakumar passed the order while disposing of writ petitions.
The case of 14 petitioners was that they joined MBBS in 2011-12. They appeared for the first year examination in August 2012. As they could not obtain 50 per cent marks in each paper, they were declared ‘failed.’
They passed the supplementary examinations (I MBBS) in February 2013. They were permitted to join the second year. They sought a direction to the university to permit them to join the main batch of second year students (2011-12 batch).
The university conducts examinations twice a year, i.e. in August and February. As per the Graduate Medical Education regulation, a pass in the first professional is compulsory before proceeding to phase-II training.
The university submitted that in order to overcome the difficulties faced by the first year MBBS students, in March this year it decided to conduct an ISE within 30 days from the publication of the results of the main examinations.
This would be for candidates admitted from the academic year 2012-13. This would enable the students who passed in the ISE to join the main batch students.
The Bench said all the petitioners had passed the first year papers in February this year. Classes for second year commenced in September 2012 itself. Till February this year one semester course was over.
The petitioners would not be in a position to satisfy 80 per cent attendance requirement for the II year course. Therefore, it was impossible to grant the petitioners’ prayer.
The university had taken a decision in favour of the students admitted from the academic year 2012-13.
Hence, the Bench said it was not inclined to issue any further direction except to state that the ISE would have to be conducted within a month from the date of publication of the results of the main examinations.
