The Madras High Court has directed Tamil Nadu’s Dr  MGR Medical University to reschedule the MD/MS postgraduate theory examinations, initially set for December 9, 2024. The court’s decision came in response to a petition highlighting the undue stress caused to students due to the limited time available for preparation.

The bench, consisting of Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, considered the petition filed by postgraduate students who pointed out that the deadline for thesis submission was November 29, 2024, leaving only 10 days to prepare for the theory exams.

The petition argued that this tight schedule was unreasonable and stressed that students needed more time to adequately prepare.

In its ruling, the court observed that other universities had scheduled their exams later, such as in January 2025, and that aligning the university’s exam schedule with the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) timeline (which mandates completion by January 31, 2025) would not cause any undue hardship to the institution.

The university had defended the original schedule, claiming it was announced in August and that any changes would inconvenience other students.

Reacting to the judgment, the Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors Association (TNRDA) commended the high court for prioritising the well-being and academic fairness for postgraduate students.

“This judgment is a significant step toward addressing systemic issues in medical education. We express our gratitude to the judiciary for prioritising the mental health and academic performance of postgraduate students,” the association wrote in a statement.

Moreover, the resident doctors’ association also urged the university to implement further reforms like a minimum gap of three to four weeks between dissertation submission deadlines and exams, consistency in deadlines, and streamlining dissertation approvals,  to ensure a fair and stress-free academic environment.