The resident doctors of All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Tuesday alleged that Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has refused to sign degree certificates of 17 medicos, despite a court direction, who have approached him for the documents.

The doctors were also planning to approach the Delhi high court for initiating contempt proceedings against the minister in this regard.

However, ministry sources said the court direction to the minister was to sign the papers of those who needed it urgently and that he would clear those papers as and when it reaches him.

"Seventeen MD, MS and nursing students have approached the minister for urgent issuance of certificates. The AIIMS authorities have sent the certificates to Ramadoss, but he has not signed them," Resident Doctors Association president Kumar Harsh told PTI.

Harsh claimed that this amounted to contempt of court and they were planning to approach the court in "a day or two" for urgent clearance of certificates to these 17 students.

The Delhi high court had on Monday directed Ramadoss to put his signature on the certificates of 49 doctors, who needed the documents urgently for securing admissions abroad.

It also directed the minister to urgently clear the documents of others who needed it immediately.

Meanwhile, Ramadoss signed the degree certificates of 49 AIIMS graduates following the high court directive and all of them have received it from the authorities.