SC rejects plea seeking NEET-PG postponement
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a plea seeking to postpone National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate (NEET-PG 2022) examination. A bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud said that the request to postpone NEET PG 2022 cannot be entertained as it would affect patient care and doctors’ career.
The Court also said the need for patient care is paramount.
The Court noted that around two lakh six thousand doctors have registered for the examination and postponing NEET-PG will prejudice these doctors’ careers, create chaos and uncertainty and create a deficiency of doctors in hospitals.
These are matters which pertain to the policy domain and unless the same is manifestly arbitrary there is no need to consider the same, the Court remarked while dismissing the plea and declined to grant any relief to petitioners.
NEET-PG exams are due to commence on May 21. The Court was hearing the petition seeking to postpone the NEET-PG 2022 examination, which is to commence on May 21, 2022, and to notify a fresh date of examination after a period of eight weeks. Senior Advocates Rakesh Khanna, Anand Grover and P Wilson, appeared for the petitioner, in the matter while Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appeared for the petitioner. ASG Bhati said that a large number of students want an exam on May 21 and the delay may have a cascading effect on other years. ASG Bhati also submitted that nation is trying to put the schedule back on track after it suffered due to the pandemic.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has written to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya requesting postponement of the NEET-PG examination.
In its letter, the IMA said the NEET- PG 2021 was held 5 months after the scheduled date in September 2021. Then the counselling scheduled to begin from October 25, 2021 was also initiated (in January, 2022) after a delay due to pending decision on seat reservations and was further delayed owing Supreme Court ruling of March 31, 2022, which ordered cancellation and conduction of special round of counselling for Mop-up round.
As a result of the delayed counselling schedule, NEET PG 2022 was deferred from April 2022 to May 2022, so that the candidates could appear for the final stray vacancy round of NEET PG 2021 and can still have plenty of time for preparation and reappearance for the next NEET PG 2022 exam, if they failed to secure a seat this year, the IMA said.