MP High Court Directs Return Of Original Documents To NEET PG Candidate Amid Seat Leaving Bond Dispute

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted interim relief to a postgraduate medical student by directing the return of his original documents, which were withheld over a ₹30 lakh seat leaving bond after he discontinued his course. The bench of Justice Jai Kumar Pillai directed; "In order to maintain parity with the case relied upon by the petitioner, it is directed that the respondents No.3 shall return the original documents along with the objection Certificate to the petitioner on due acknowledgement and the same shall be subject to final outcome of this petition". The petitioner, an MBBS graduate belonging to the Scheduled Tribe Category, appeared in NEET PG 2020 and secured an All India Rank of 79,171. He was allotted a seat in the Government Medical College during the second round of counselling and joined the same on July 27, 2020. Per the petition, he was unable to complete the postgraduate programme due to alleged ragging, nepotism and favouritism. He left the course, but the college retained his original academic certificates and demanded ₹30 lakh under the State's seat leaving bond policy. Per the petitioner, the seat-leaving policy had come under national scrutiny. Reference was made to discussions held in the Lok Sabha on February 9, 2024, where the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare indicated that the National Medical Commission had advised states to review such policies. The petition highlighted that there was a substantial increase in undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats over the past decade. Further, reports indicated severe financial and psychological stress caused by high bond amounts. The petition argued that imposing such a high amount as a penalty was unjustified, particularly when vacant seats often remained unfilled. Per the petition, the graduate had qualified for the post of Medical Officer pursuant to an advertisement dated August 8, 2024, issued by the MP Public Service Commission. He received acknowledgement on January 20, 2026 and was scheduled to appear for an interview on March 5, 2026. Submission in the said advertisement was mandatory by February 23, 2026. The continued withholding of his certificates, the petition argued, threatened to jeopardize his participation in the recruitment process. The bench, after examining the matter, issued notice and directed the respondents to return the petitioner's original documents along with the objection certificate by February 23, 2026. The matter was listed along with writ petition no 44313 of 2025. Case Title: Dr Ajay Mandloi v State of MP [WP-6226-2026]For Petitioner: Senior Advocate Aditya Sanghi with Advocate Chetan Jain For State: Government Advocate Ayushyaman ChoudharyClick here to read/download the Order

MP High Court Directs Return Of Original Documents To NEET PG Candidate Amid Seat Leaving Bond Dispute

Jayanti Pahwa

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