In a significant ruling, the Rajasthan High Court dismissed the pleas of eight MBBS students who were barred from appearing in their exams due to insufficient attendance. The Court underscored the importance of maintaining strict academic standards in medical education, citing its direct impact on the quality of healthcare.
Justice Vinit Kumar Mathur, delivering the judgment, emphasized that medical students must adhere to attendance requirements to develop the essential knowledge and practical skills needed for their profession.
“In the considered opinion of this Court, attendance in the MBBS examination is crucial. If a student has not acquired the requisite attendance in both theory and practicals, it would be detrimental to allow them to proceed with the course, particularly for the second-year examination,” the Court observed.
One of the petitioners, a student from Government Medical College, Barmer, argued that he missed classes in his first year due to dengue, which resulted in his inability to sit for both the main and supplementary exams. His counsel highlighted that a 2023 policy provided remedial classes for students with attendance shortages, but this policy was later discontinued. He further pointed out that the 2024 policy still allows for remedial classes, yet the petitioner was denied this option.
The Court, however, maintained that MBBS students must have at least 75% attendance in theory and 80% in practical and clinical sessions to qualify for exams. Referring to a previous case where a student was granted relief, the Court clarified that the circumstances were different, as the student in that case had an attendance shortage in only one subject, whereas the present petitioners had low attendance across all subjects.
Recognizing the critical role of medical professionals in society, the Bench reinforced the need for rigorous academic discipline.
“A society that allows widespread incompetency cannot thrive, and therefore, educational standards must not be allowed to be degraded to substandard levels,” the Court stated.
With this ruling, the Court reaffirmed that the integrity of medical education must be preserved in the interest of public health, ultimately rejecting the petitions of all eight students.
Case: Surendra Bisnoi vs The State of Rajasthan – Available on LAWFYI.IO
