The Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted interim relief to nine foreign medical graduates by allowing them to fill out the NEET PG 2025 examination form, despite ongoing disputes regarding the extension of the mandatory internship period from two to three years.
These students, who completed their MBBS degrees from foreign universities—mostly from China—approached the High Court after the Madhya Pradesh Medical Council informed them of the extended internship duration. The change, communicated in late 2024, came as a shock to the petitioners who had been previously told that their internship would last only two years. Many had planned to complete their internships by March 2025 and were preparing for the NEET PG exam accordingly.
Read Also:- Supreme Court Criticizes Madhya Pradesh Police Over Custodial Death: "Man Dies, No Arrest In 10 Months!"
"In the meantime, respondent- M.P. Medical Council is directed to permit the students to fill up the online form. It is clarified that the filling up of the form shall be without prejudice to the rights and contentions of the parties and no special equity shall flow in favour of the petitioners and shall be subject to further order," the Court stated.
One of the petitioners, a student from Nantong University in China, was compelled to return to India due to the COVID-19 pandemic and completed his final year online. After passing the FMG examination, he received provisional registration and began an internship at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government Medical College in Vidisha.
Read Also:- Madhya Pradesh High Court Upholds CM’s Public Welfare Education Encouragement Scheme for Meritorious Students
Initially, he was informed that the internship period was two years. However, in November 2024, the MP Medical Council extended it to three years. The petitioners argued that this sudden change disrupted their preparation plans for NEET PG 2025.
“They were made to believe by letters that the internship period would be 24 months. Suddenly, a new order was passed increasing it to 36 months,” the petitioner’s counsel argued, citing principles of legitimate expectation and promissory estoppel.
The petitioners also highlighted a lack of uniformity across Indian states. While some states like Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, and Rajasthan continue to follow a two-year internship rule for foreign medical graduates, MP’s decision appears inconsistent.
The Court also took note of the NMC’s circulars. The petitioners’ counsel argued that the circulars regarding extended clerkship and internship were meant specifically for students from Ukraine and the Philippines, not China. It was further claimed that the NMC had recently clarified that internship policies are to be regulated by individual State Medical Councils.
“As a regulatory authority, National Medical Commission issues required regulations. However, issues relating to internship and stipend of Foreign Medical Graduate students are responsibility of the concerned State medical policy,” the NMC letter stated.
The petitioners also raised concerns over unpaid stipends during their internships, despite Supreme Court directions mandating the same.
Given that the deadline to submit the NEET PG 2025 form was May 7, the Court considered the urgency of the matter and scheduled the next hearing for May 14.
Case Title: DR. SAURABH RAGHUVANSHI AND OTHERS AND OTHERS Vs THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH AND OTHERS
Writ Petition No.547/2025 Along with Writ Petition No. 9545 Of 2025
Counsel for the Petitioner: Senior Advocate Aditya Sanghi
Counsel for State: Advocate Darshan Soni
