Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) who were denied admit cards for the FMGE 2023 and were unable to take the exam are planning to file a writ petition to seek a refund of the exam fee from the National Board of Examinations (NBE), the regulatory body for FMGE.
FMGE is the most expensive in India, with the application cost being Rs 7,080. There are about 15,000 students who were not issued admit cards this year. "In this way, NBE is pocketing over a crore, which is unfair. If we were not allowed to appear for the exam, we should at least get our money back," said an FMGE aspirant on the condition of anonymity.
The students are already irked about not being issued admit cards. NBE cited that there were irregularities in their applications, like missing or blurred documents or hazy photos, due to which the admit cards could not be released for them. However, students disagree. "It was my fourth attempt at FMGE. I have been using the same documents with the same resolutions every year. Then how come I was held back only this year?" the student asks.
Most of the other exam repeaters also state the same thing. They complain of depression and stress. "We studied hard for six months and they did not allow us to write the exam. If documents were missing or blurred, they could have withheld the results for those candidates after conducting a document verification procedure after the exams," the aspirant suggests.
Several FMGs protested in front of the NBE two days before the exams, but they claim that the authorities were not ready to consider their requests. "We even approached the Health Ministry, but we were told that the government could not interfere as the NBE is an autonomous body and whatever it decides is final," the student says further.
"Now taking legal action is the only way left for us. We want our money back," he adds. The students are being guided by M TejaKumar, also an FMGE aspirant who filed a case in the Delhi High Court on 16 December 2022 for not being issued an eligibility certificate for the exam. Though his case was dismissed on December 21, with the court ordering NBE to resolve the matter, Dr Teja now plans to file a collective writ petition with the affected students.
"My case was being handled by Advocate Amit Kumar, who was a former legal advisor with NBE. We are in consultation with his firm for the new case as well. The affected students' details are being collected, and I will discuss the matter with the lawyers on Monday (January 23). We will file the petition soon," Dr Teja stated.
