A woman who completed her MBBS course way back in 2013 has only now, in 2026, been cleared to receive her actual degree — after a 13-year legal fight caused by a dispute over her domicile certificate. The Madhya Pradesh High Court has set aside the order that cancelled her admission and has directed the university to issue her marksheet and degree. While this is a happy resolution for the student involved, the case is a useful cautionary tale for current NEET-UG aspirants and their families about how strictly domicile eligibility is checked in state medical college admissions, and how much can go wrong if that paperwork is questioned even after a student has been studying for years. It also shows that a degree alone does not automatically mean a doctor can start practising — registration and fitness checks still apply.
Get your domicile certificate verified and airtight before you accept an MBBS/BDS seat, because a dispute over it — even one that surfaces years later and is not your fault — can delay your degree and career by a very long time.
What actually happened
The student, Shailja Pandey, secured an MBBS seat on the basis of a domicile certificate that had been issued to her by the competent government authority in Madhya Pradesh. Domicile certificates are used in state medical counselling to prove that a candidate qualifies for a state's home-state quota seats, usually by showing a certain number of years of residence or schooling in that state.
Midway through her MBBS course, her college raised an objection over that domicile certificate. In June 2013, her admission was cancelled on this basis — after she had already studied for a substantial part of the course.
She challenged this in the Madhya Pradesh High Court. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Pradeep Mittal treated her case as a special situation, set aside the 2013 cancellation order, and directed Rani Durgavati University, Jabalpur, to issue her marksheet and degree.
Why the court sided with her
The court found that Pandey had been upfront about the facts of her residence in Madhya Pradesh at the time she applied. It noted that it was the job of the authority issuing the domicile certificate to check whether she had studied for at least three years at an institution in the state — and that this requirement should have been examined before the certificate was granted, not treated as grounds for cancellation years later.
In other words, the court held that any error in verifying her eligibility was the authority's responsibility, not hers, and she could not be penalised for a lapse on the government's side.
The bench also questioned the timing — why the objection was raised only after she had already completed her medical education, rather than being caught at the admission stage itself, when it could have been resolved quickly and without derailing her career.
A degree is not the same as permission to practise
Even with the degree now cleared, there is a further step. The court has acknowledged that completing 13 years without practising medicine raises a real question about whether Pandey is currently fit to practise, since a doctor's clinical skills and knowledge of current medical protocols can genuinely lag if there has been no clinical exposure for that long.
The High Court has directed the National Medical Commission (NMC), India's apex medical education and registration regulator, to assess her fitness to practise under applicable rules, within three months. If needed, the NMC can ask the university to conduct a special test or examination to confirm she is currently competent before she is allowed to register and practise.
This distinction matters for every MBBS student: your degree certifies that you completed the course, but your right to practise medicine in India depends separately on registering with the NMC (or the relevant state medical council), which checks that your qualifications and, in unusual cases like this, your current competence meet the required standard.
What this means for current NEET-UG aspirants
Most students will never face a situation this extreme, but the case highlights risks that are worth taking seriously at the time of admission, not after.
Domicile-based seats — whether state quota MBBS/BDS seats or 85% state quota seats reserved for state residents — require domicile or residence certificates that are checked against specific criteria set by each state, such as years of schooling or residence. These criteria vary from state to state and are sometimes revised.
- Apply for your domicile certificate well before counselling begins, and from the correct competent authority (usually the Tehsildar, SDM, or an equivalent revenue officer in your state).
- Check the exact eligibility rule in your state — for example, minimum years of residence or years of study at a recognised school in that state — rather than assuming a certificate issued to you is automatically valid for medical admission.
- Keep all supporting documents (school records, residence proofs, ration card, parents' domicile, etc.) safely for the entire duration of your course, not just at the time of admission — colleges and universities can and do raise objections later.
- If your college or counselling authority raises any query about your domicile or eligibility documents, respond immediately and in writing, and consider getting a written clarification from the issuing authority rather than letting the matter sit unresolved.
- Remember that even after a genuine paperwork dispute is resolved in a student's favour, the process of getting the degree reissued and registration cleared can still take considerable time — so prevention is far better than a legal remedy years later.
A reminder about NMC registration
Every MBBS or BDS graduate in India must register with the NMC (for allopathic medicine) or the Dental Council structure, in addition to holding a valid degree, before they can legally practise. This case is an unusual illustration of why that second step exists — it is the regulator's way of confirming a doctor's qualification and current fitness, not just a formality layered on top of the degree.
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See My CollegesFrequently asked questions
What is a domicile certificate and why does it matter for MBBS admission?
A domicile certificate proves that a candidate meets a state's residence or schooling requirements, which is used to determine eligibility for state quota MBBS/BDS seats. Each state sets its own criteria, so the same certificate that works for one state's counselling may not automatically satisfy another state's rules.
Why was this student's admission cancelled years after she had already started studying?
Her college objected to her domicile certificate midway through her MBBS course, and her admission was cancelled in 2013 on that basis, even though the certificate had originally been issued to her by the competent state authority before she was admitted.
Why did the Madhya Pradesh High Court rule in her favour?
The court found that verifying eligibility criteria, such as years of study in the state, was the issuing authority's responsibility at the time the certificate was granted — not something the student could be blamed for years later. It also questioned why the objection was raised only after she completed her course.
Does getting the MBBS degree now mean she can start practising immediately?
Not automatically. The court has asked the National Medical Commission to assess whether she is currently fit to practise, given the 13-year gap without clinical practice, and to conduct a special test if necessary, within three months.
Can something similar happen to a current NEET-UG student?
It is uncommon, but domicile and eligibility document disputes do occasionally surface during a course, not just at admission. Keeping your documents accurate, verified, and well-preserved for the full duration of your course reduces this risk significantly.
Who should a student contact if their domicile certificate is questioned during the course?
They should immediately approach the college administration in writing, keep records of all communication, and if needed, get written clarification or a fresh certificate from the same competent authority that issued the original one, rather than letting the objection remain unresolved.
This case is a reminder that admission paperwork, especially domicile documentation, deserves the same care as exam preparation — small gaps can cause disproportionate delays later. Aspirants and parents should double-check domicile eligibility rules for their target state well before counselling, and resolve any query from a college or university immediately rather than letting it linger.
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