A trainee doctor at KIMS Hospital, Secunderabad, has asked the Telangana High Court to intervene after she says prolonged discrimination and exclusion at work have blocked her progress in a specialist programme. The petition has prompted the court to summon the Union health ministry, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences and the hospital, underlining broader concerns about trainee safety and regulatory oversight.
Justice E.V. Venugopal on Thursday issued notices to the three respondents and listed the case for further hearing on November 5. The petitioner, identified as Dr A. Aishwarya, is pursuing a Diplomate of National Board in microbiology and has requested an immediate transfer to another NBEMS-accredited institution in Hyderabad to complete her training without interruption.
According to the court filing, the dispute began late last year when departmental duties were progressively removed from Dr Aishwarya’s workload. The petition says that in November 2025 she stopped receiving assignments and that by April 2026 she had been denied access to the microbiology laboratory — a move the applicant says has substantially harmed her thesis and academic progress.
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The doctor’s counsel, G. Silambareshan, told the court that the complaint includes audio recordings and other material submitted to the NBEMS which, he says, show attempts to coerce the trainee into resigning and explicit instructions barring colleagues from speaking with her.
Despite a grievance process conducted by the NBEMS in September, which the petitioner says resulted in directions for the hospital to restore a supportive academic environment, the lawyer argued those measures have not ensured safety or fair treatment.
Dr Aishwarya, 33, described the departmental climate as increasingly hostile. She alleges senior staff repeatedly made derogatory remarks about her religion and that one senior doctor made distressing comments about her mother. The head of department is accused of publicly branding her as “mentally unstable” and suggesting she was experiencing hallucinations — statements the petitioner says have damaged her reputation and ability to work.
“I am not seeking to abandon my DNB,” the petition states. “I want to complete the programme in a secure, structured and dignified environment.”
- Allegations: removal of duties, barred lab access, professional isolation, caste- and religion-based remarks, pressure to resign.
- Evidence cited: audio recordings and written complaints filed with NBEMS.
- Regulatory response: NBEMS held grievance proceedings in September and issued directions to the hospital.
- Legal relief sought: transfer to another accredited hospital in Hyderabad to finish DNB training.
- Court action: high court served notices to the Union health ministry, NBEMS and KIMS; next hearing on November 5.
The case raises immediate practical questions for trainees and training hospitals: how quickly regulators can enforce interim protections, whether institutions can be required to provide alternate placements, and how allegations of workplace discrimination are investigated while academic programmes continue.
Hospital representatives and the Union health ministry had not filed public responses in court at the time of the hearing, and the NBEMS has not commented beyond its September direction to the hospital. The high court’s notice signals judicial scrutiny of how complaints from medical trainees are handled and whether regulatory steps taken so far are adequate.
Telangana’s next hearing in early November will focus on whether the court should order a transfer to safeguard the trainee’s academic continuity and whether further interim measures are needed to prevent alleged retaliation while the matter is examined.
