The Supreme Court of India, through a Bench comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and KV Viswanathan, has issued notice in a writ petition filed under Article 32 by the Association of Doctors and Medical Students (ADAMS) and other petitioners, all of whom are Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The petition, argued by Advocate Tanvi Dubey, challenges the alleged arbitrary and unreasonable inaction by the authorities concerned in initiating the process for allotment of the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) in these two States.
The petitioners have successfully completed their undergraduate medical education from foreign universities, returned to India with the bona fide intent of serving in the country’s healthcare system, and cleared the mandatory Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS). They have also obtained provisional registration with their respective State Medical Councils, thereby becoming fully eligible to commence CRMI as mandated under the National Medical Commission (Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship) Regulations, 2021.
Under Rule 3 of these Regulations, CRMI is an integral part of undergraduate medical education, requiring rotational postings in all clinical departments to ensure essential clinical exposure. Rule 4 imposes a statutory bar on granting permanent registration to any medical graduate who has not completed CRMI in India. The Regulations further require that CRMI be completed within two years of qualifying credentials, failing which candidates risk disqualification.
While most other States have commenced the CRMI process for FMGs, the petition highlights that Kerala and Tamil Nadu have yet to do so, despite the FMGE results being declared more than six months ago. The petitioners contend that the prolonged delay has left them unemployed, caused severe financial hardship especially for those who incurred significant educational loans for their overseas studies and jeopardised their ability to complete CRMI within the stipulated period. Repeated representations and emails to the authorities have gone unanswered.
Accordingly, the petition seeks a writ of mandamus directing the National Medical Commission, the State Governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and the respective State Medical Councils to immediately initiate the CRMI process and allocate internship slots to eligible FMGs.
The Supreme Court, noting the grievances, has sought a response from the respondents on the matter.