The Madras High Court has stayed a provision of the National Medical Commission that mandated 75 per cent attendance for postgraduate medical faculty based on 300 working days annually.

The interim order was passed by the Madurai bench while hearing a petition filed by two assistant professors and a senior resident from government medical colleges in Madurai and Sivaganga, Medical Dialogues reports. The petition challenged Clause XII of the amended Minimum Standard Requirements issued earlier this year.

The rule required faculty members to maintain at least 75 per cent attendance calculated over 300 working days, effectively mandating 225 days of attendance in a year.

Petitioners argued that such a fixed benchmark does not account for variations in working days across states. In Tamil Nadu, for instance, the total number of working days is lower, which would push required attendance levels significantly higher in practice.

They also contended that the requirement would restrict faculty from availing statutory leave, making the rule difficult to implement in government institutions.

The court stayed the clause insofar as it applied the 300-day calculation, while clarifying that faculty must still maintain 75 per cent attendance based on a reduced number of working days. The matter has been posted for further hearing.