Four-attempt cap in MBBS exam includes regular, supplementary exams: Kerala High Court
Court says that regulations framed by academic bodies should not be subjected to judicial interference casually, especially when the issue concerned medical students, whose competence directly affects public health and safety
The Kerala High Court recently ruled that both regular and supplementary examinations count towards the four attempts allowed within four years to pass the First Professional MBBS Degree examination. Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas stated that candidates are only entitled to four attempts, whether they be regular or supplementary exams.
The Graduate Medical Education Regulation, 2023, and guidelines from the National Medical Commission (NMC) support this interpretation. The court emphasized that academic regulations should not be challenged lightly, particularly when they affect medical students who are essential for public health. The petitioner, a Kollam-based first-year medical student, argued that the four attempts should apply only to regular exams, not supplementary ones.
She had failed three subjects, exhausted her four attempts, and sought the court's intervention to attempt the exam again. However, the State government, the Kerala University of Health Sciences, the University Grants Commission, and the NMC opposed granting any leniency, citing strict adherence to the regulations. The NMC's guidelines stipulate that no more than four attempts are permissible for a candidate to pass the Phase I Examination, with the total period not exceeding four years.
If a student fails a supplementary exam in Phase I of MBBS, they are placed in a junior batch, and no supplementary batches are offered. Unattempted exams do not count as attempts, but partial attendance does.
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