New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought the Delhi government’s response to a petition filed by 14 government doctors seeking the immediate commencement of the counselling process for admission to reserved in-service Diplomate of National Board (DNB) postgraduate seats for the 2025 academic session.
Hearing the matter, Justice Jasmeet Singh issued a notice to the Delhi government and directed it to file its reply. The court has listed the case for further hearing on August 14.
The petitioners, who are serving doctors in various Delhi government hospitals and are represented by advocate Tanvi Dubey, contended that although they successfully qualified the NEET-PG 2025 examination, the authorities have yet to begin the counselling process for admissions under the in-service quota.
According to the doctors, the delay has become increasingly concerning as the academic session has already commenced. They argued that the government’s continued inaction could result in the loss of an entire academic year, causing significant professional and academic setbacks.
The plea also refers to the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) guidelines, which provide that 50 percent of DNB Broad Specialty seats in NBEMS-accredited government hospitals are reserved for eligible in-service candidates.
The petition alleges that the Delhi government has failed to discharge its statutory responsibility by not initiating the counselling process, despite having conducted similar admissions for the 2023 and 2024 academic sessions. The doctors argued that this consistent practice created a legitimate expectation that counselling would also be held for the 2025 session.
Calling the government’s conduct arbitrary, the petition states that the abrupt departure from the established practice—without prior notice, explanation, or an opportunity for affected candidates to be heard—violates the constitutional guarantee of equality under Article 14.
The High Court’s decision is expected to provide clarity on the counselling schedule and determine whether the Delhi government must immediately begin the admission process for the reserved in-service DNB seats, a matter that could significantly impact the careers of government doctors awaiting postgraduate training.