PG Medical Courses: MP High Court Refuses To Grant Incentive Marks To In Service Doctors Who Served In COVID Affected Districts

While holding that in the absence of specific categorization, Government Doctors and medical officers working in Civil and District Hospitals are also entitled to benefit of reservation meant for in-service doctors in the PG Medical Courses, the Madhya Pradesh High Court, however, refused to grant 10% additional/incentive marks to such doctors who had served in COVID-19 affected districts.

Essentially, the bench of Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Arun Sharma was dealing with a plea filed by MBBS-qualified doctors who are rendering their services as regular employees in the State Department of Health Services and who reached the HC seeking entitlement to 10% additional/incentive marks by treating their place of posting for the last 1.5 years as a "difficult area" [for purpose of admission in PG Medical course].

Partly dismissing their prayer, the Court ultimately held that "difficult area" did not mean include "difficult services" and therefore, there was no question of granting them additional/incentive marks for the same.

Case in brief

Petitioners are two Medical Officers serving at District Hospitals at Indore and Harda, respectively. They were seeking benefit under the state policy of providing 30 percent reservation for "in-service candidates" in P.G. Degree seats. They were also seeking the incentive of marks under the state policy for in-service candidates working in "difficult areas".

Case title - Dr. Vijendra Dhanware & Another v. The State of Madhya Pradesh and others  Case Citation: 2022 LiveLaw (MP) 4

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