Madhya Pradesh High Court Issues Notice On Increased Internship Period

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Jabalpur Bench has issued notice to the state government and MP Medical Council in response to the petition challenging the increase in internship period from MBBS graduates from China, from a period of two years to three years.

The bench comprising of Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf shall be hearing the matter of Dr Narayan Raghuvanshi vs State of Madhya Pradesh. Dr Raghuvanshi pursued his MBBS form China but had to finish his course online due to the pandemic.

Initially, foreign medical graduates were required to complete a two-year internship in India, compared to the one-year internship period for Indian graduates.

An order by MP Council dated November 4, 2024 extended this period from two years to three, leading the petitioner to challenge the same.

The petitioner’s counsel contended that such extension lacked any legal basis as students were assured earlier a two-year period.

Other medical councils like Delhi Medical Council has permitted completion in one year. Further the counsel argued that foreign medical graduates were being unfairly penalised for circumstances beyond control.

The petitioner claimed the doctrine of Promissory Estoppel and Legitimate Expectation can be invoked against such retrospective application order which can be disturbing the preparation for the Pre-PG examination scheduled for June 2025.

He has requested to the court to quash the order and allow him to complete his internship as originally prescribed.

The High Court accepted the notice, with the next hearing listed for April 24, 2025. As an interim measure, the petitioner has sought permission to apply for Pre-PG examination.