IN THE JUDICATURE OF HIGH COURT AT BOMBAY BENCH AT AURANGABAD 987 WRIT PETITION NO. 2030 OF 2025 Dr. Sujata Shriram Rathod VERSUS The State Of Maharashtra Through Its Add Chief Secretary And Others ... Advocate for the Petitioner : Mr. Deshmukh Avinash S. AGP for Respondents No.1-State, No. 2- MPSC -State: Mr. K. K. Naik Advocate for Respondent No.3 : Mr. Kadam S. K. … AND WRIT PETITION NO.2029 OF 2025 Dr. Vijaykumar s/o Shankarrao Pawar VERSUS The State Of Maharashtra Through Its Add Chief Secretary And Others … Advocate for the Petitioner : Mr. Deshmukh Avinash S. AGP for Respondents No.1-State, No. 2- MPSC -State: Mr. K. K. Naik Advocate for Respondent No.3 : Mr. Kadam S. K. … CORAM : R. G. AVACHAT & ABASAHEB D. SHINDE, JJ. Dated : NOVEMBER 13, 2025 ORAL ORDER : - Heard. 2. Both these writ petitions take exception to the Judgment and order dated 07/02/2025, passed by the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal, Bench at Aurangabad. 3. The petitioners, in response to the advertisement dated 17/01/2025, applied for the post of Civil Surgeon. 225 posts of Civil Surgeon were to be filled up pursuant to the said advertisement. The petitioners were declared to have not been holding the requisite Page 1 of 7 2025:BHC-AUG:32033-DB 987 WP 2030-2025 educational qualification and therefore their applications were not accepted by the respondent Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC). The petitioners therefore approached the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal, Bench at Aurangabad (MAT). The MAT, on hearing the parties to the proceedings, passed the orders impugned herein. 4. We have heard the learned Counsel for the petitioners, the learned AGP for respondents No.1 – State and respondent No.2 – MPSC. 5. Clause No.9 of the advertisement has been adverted to so far as regards requisite educational qualification required for the post of Civil Surgeon. For better appreciation it would be apposite to reproduce the same in verbatim. Clause 9.1 in the advertisement reads thus : “9-1 ‘kS{kf.kd vgZrk % &(1) Possess M.B.B.S. degree of a statutory University or any other qualification specified in the First Schedule or Second Schedule to the Indian Medical Council Act 1956 ; (2) Possess a post graduate degree of a statutory University in any clinical subject or the qualification Page 2 of 7 987 WP 2030-2025 specified in the First or Second Schedule to the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, or any other qualification recognized as equivalent thereto by the Medical Council of India. (3) ’kklu i=] lkoZtfud vkjksX; foHkkx dzekad & ukefu & 1423@ iz- dz-451@ lsok & 2] fnukad 13 fMlsacj] 2024 jksthP;k i=kUo;s [kkyhyizek.ks vfHkizk; izkIr >kys vkgsr % & v) [kkyhy fDyfudy fo”k;krhy inO;qRrj inoh vko’;d vkgs % & esfMdy dkSUlhy vkWQ baMh;k ;kaps tqyS] 2018 P;k vesaMesaV e/;s [kkyhyizek.ks fDyfudy fo”k; uewn vkgsr % & (1) Anesthesiology (2) Dermatology (3) Venereology and Leprosy (4) General medicine (5) Pediatrics (6) Psychiatry (7) Radio – Diagnosis (8) Radiation (9) Oncology (10) Respiratory Medicine (11) Oto-rhino- Laryngology (12) General Surgery (13) Ophthalmology (14) Orthopedics (15) Obstetrics and Gynecology. c) Pre-clinical & Para-Clinical fo”k;krhy M.D.Pathology ;k fo”k;krhy inO;qRrj inoh gh ‘kS{kf.kd vgZrk /kkj.k dj.kk&;k oS|dh; vf/kdkjh ;kauk eoSvkls xV&v (,l&23) e/;s fo’ks”kK loxkZrhy ‘kjhjfod`rh ‘kkL=K ;k inkoj inksUurh ns.;kr ;sr vlY;kus lnj ‘kS{kf.kd vgZrk gh ftYgk ‘kY; fpfdRld laoxkZrhy inksUurhlkBh xzkg~; /kj.;kr ;sr vkgs- ;kLro] M.D. Pathology gh ‘kS{kf.kd vgZrk gh ftYgk ‘kY; fpfdRld laoxkZrhy inksUurhlkBh xzkg~; /kj.;kr ;sr vkgs- ;kLro] M.D. Pathology gh ‘kS{kf.kd vgZrk /kkj.k dj.kkjs oS| dh; vf/kdkjh ;kauk ftYgk ‘kY; fpfdRld laoxkZrhy ljGlsoslkBh xzkg~; Page 3 of 7 987 WP 2030-2025 /kj.;kr ;sbZy- d) R;kpizek.ks Pre-clinical fo”k;krhy M.D. Forensic Medicine gh ‘kS{kf.kd vgZrk /kkj.k dj.kkjs oS|dh; vf/kdkjh ;kauk eoSvkls xV v (,l&23) e/;s iksyhl ‘kY; fpfdRld laoxkZr inksUurh ns.;kr ;sr vlY;kus lnj ‘kS{kf.kd vgZrk fg ftYgk ‘kY; fpfdRld laoxkZrhy inksUurhlkBh xzkg~; /kj.;kr ;sr vkgs- ;kLro] M.D. Forensic Medicine gh ‘kS{kf.kd vgZrk /kkj.k dj.kkjs oS|dh; vf/kdkjh ;kauk ftYgk ‘kY; fpfdRld laoxkZrhy ljGlsoslkBh xzkg~ /kj.;kr ;sbZy- M) Pre-clinical & Para-clinical fo”k;krhy Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry and Microbiology e/khy lnjgw ‘kS{kf.kd vgZrk /kkj.k dj.kkjs oS|dh; vf/kdkjh ;kaps djhrk eoSvkls xV & v (,l&23) e/ks inksUurhlkBh o ljG lsoslkBh fo’ks”kK laoxZ miyC/k ulY;kus lnj ‘kS{kf.kd vgZrk ftYgk ‘kY; fpfdRld laoxkZrhy ljG lsoslkBh xzkg~; /kj.;kr ;sow u;s- b) Para-clinical & Pre-clinical fo”k;krhy Community Medicine / M.D.P.S.M. gh ‘kS{kf.kd vgZrk /kkj.k dj.kk&;k oS|dh; vf/kdkjh ;kauk lnj lsokizos’k fu;ekuqlkj ftYgk vkjksX; vf/kdkjh laoxkZrhy inksUurh ljG lsoslkBh xzkg~; /kj.;kr ;sr vlY;kus lnj ‘kS{kf.kd vgZrk gh ftYgk ’kY; fpfdRld laoxkZlkBh xzkg~; /kj.;kr ;sow u;s-” 6. According to the petitioners, they are MBBS plus Diploma in Child Health Care (DCH) and the Diploma in Gynecology and Obstetrics (DGO). The requisite educational certificates have all been placed on record. The learned AGP would submit that the petitioners would have been qualified had they held requisite postgraduate Page 4 of 7 987 WP 2030-2025 degree. According to him, the diploma qualification does not fit in the requisite qualification for the post in terms of the advertisement. 7. Our attention has been adverted to Schedule 1 to the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 (MCA), whereunder DGO and DCH are recognized medical qualifications. According to the learned Counsel for respondent No.3, these diplomas have now been not recognized. The same is, however, the subsequent event. We have to see as to whether the petitioners did hold the requisite educational qualification on the date of the advertisement. We again refer to sub- clause (1) of Clause 9.1 of the advertisement, whereunder a candidate must hold MBBS degree. Second clause requires a candidate to possess a postgraduate degree of a statutory University in any Clinical subject. The word ‘or’ appearing in clause (2) after this qualification speaks of the qualification specified in the First or Second schedule to the Indian Medical Council Act. Third and the last line of clause (2) speaks of any other qualification recognised as equivalent thereto by the Medical Council of India. The word ‘or’ appearing in Item (2) in clause 9(1) in the advertisement does make it clear that a candidate shall either possess a post-graduate degree of statutory University in Clinical subject or the qualification specified Page 5 of 7 987 WP 2030-2025 in the First or Second schedule to the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956. 8. As has been referred to hereinabove, the Diploma in Child Health Care and Diploma in Gyneacology find place in Schedule I to the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956. As such, the qualification of the petitioners as MBBS plus DCH and/or DGO does fulfill the requirement of educational qualification in terms of clause (1) and Second Part of clause (2) of the main clause 9.1 in the advertisement. The petitioners thus did hold the requisite educational qualification to be considered for appointment to the post of Civil Surgeon. We fail to understand as to how the MPSC and even the MAT could hold the petitioners to have not possessed the requisite educational qualification. 9. Since the petitioners hold the requisite educational qualification to apply for the post of Civil Surgeon, the MPSC and the MAT ought not to have held them to have not possessed the requisite qualification. Interference with the orders impugned herein is thus called for. The Writ Petitions, therefore, succeed. The orders impugned herein are hereby set aside with a direction to the Page 6 of 7 987 WP 2030-2025 respondent MPSC to consider the petitioners’ applications for the post of Civil Surgeon and, if they are otherwise eligible, allow them to participate in the further recruitment process. With these directions, the writ petitions stand disposed of. ( ABASAHEB D. SHINDE, J. ) ( R. G. AVACHAT, J. ) F.M. Pathan/-. Page 7 of 7