Delhi HC Denies Relief to Doctor Whose Cardiology Fellowship Was Cancelled Over Missed Cut-Off Date

The Delhi High Court has dismissed a plea by Dr. Sanchari Ghosh, a cardiologist who wanted her cancelled fellowship seat restored after the National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) found she did not meet the eligibility cut-off. Justice Jasmeet Singh, however, did not let NBEMS off the hook either, pulling up the board for its own lapses in verifying documents on time.

Background of the Case

Dr. Ghosh, an MD in Medicine, was pursuing DrNB Cardiology when she appeared for the Fellowship Entrance Test (FET) 2024 and secured Rank 14. She was allotted a seat in FNB Cardiac Electrophysiology at Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bengaluru, joined in August 2025, and trained there for nearly nine months.

The trouble was her DrNB Cardiology qualification. The FET-2024 rules required candidates to have this degree, or a provisional pass certificate, by 31 December 2024. Dr. Ghosh's final exam was held only in January 2025, and her provisional certificate came through on 29 May 2025 - nearly five months late.

When NBEMS scrutinised her documents during registration, it also found that she had entered "31.12.2024" as her date of passing in her FET application, the OPJR portal, and her self-appraisal form - three separate times. A show cause notice followed, and her candidature was cancelled on 22 May 2026.

Court's Observations

The Court held that the cut-off date was clear and applied uniformly to everyone, and that Dr. Ghosh simply did not meet it on the relevant date. On her repeated entries of the wrong date, the judge observed:

"A perusal of the aforesaid clearly shows that, on no fewer than three occasions, the petitioner misrepresented that she had fulfilled the eligibility criteria as on 31.12.2024."

At the same time, the Court did not spare NBEMS. It noted that the board knew Dr. Ghosh's DrNB course duration and joining date all along, yet let her train for nine months before acting - costing her an entire admission cycle in the process. The judgment remarked:

"It reflects a failure on both sides... Such lethargy and callousness on the part of NBEMS, particularly when the career of a medical professional is at stake, cannot be countenanced or condoned."

Decision

The Court upheld the cancellation, ruling that provisional admission and months of training could not create a vested right when the underlying eligibility was never met. It imposed a token cost of Rs. 1,000 on Dr. Ghosh, and a cost of Rs. 10,000 on NBEMS for its delay and casual handling of the verification process.

The writ petition was accordingly dismissed.

Case Details:

Case Title: Dr. Sanchari Ghosh v. National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences & Anr.

Case Number: W.P.(C) 8158/2026

Judge: Hon'ble Mr. Justice Jasmeet Singh

Decision Date: 19 August 2026