The Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) rejected 256 appeals filed by non-doctors against decisions of State Medical Councils (SMC) between September 15, 2020, and January 7, 2026. This was revealed in a reply to a query under the Right to Information Act, posed by Kannur-based ophthalmologist K.V. Babu, recently. Dr. Babu said that the rejection was based on an “illegal interpretation” of the Section 30(3) of the NMC Act, 2019, at a meeting of the Commission held on October 6, 2021. It also decided that “patients should not be allowed to file such appeals.” Dr. Babu said that this was an “illegal interpretation” of the Act as the Section 30(3) should be read with Section 61(2) of the NMC Act and 8.8 of the Ethics Regulations, 2002.