SC tells CBSE to declare medical entrance results by August 17

New Delhi, June 19: The Supreme Court on Friday granted more time to CBSE for re-conducting the All India Pre Medical Test-2015 and directed it to declare the results by August 17 after the board had pleaded that it would be impossible for it to hold the test afresh in four weeks. The apex court's order came on a petition by Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) for extension of time to re-conduct the AIPMT examinations for over 6.3 lakh candidates. The court, while quashing on June 15 the AIPMT-2015 on the ground of large-scale irregularities, had asked CBSE to re-conduct the exam within four weeks. "Vide order dated June 15, 2015, this court had directed CBSE to hold re-examination of AIPMT Test 2015 within four weeks. An application has been filed by CBSE expressing difficulty in holding the examination within the stipulated time as directed by this court.

"They seek minimum four months and 9 days' time to complete the examination. However, looking to the fact that the semester for MBBS First Year would start very soon, we deem it fit and proper to permit CBSE to complete the examination and declare the results on or before August 17, 2015," the bench said.

The apex court made it clear that the first counselling "shall be held on or before August 28, the second counselling on or before September 4 and the third counselling on or before September 11, 2015". Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for CBSE, told a bench of justices RK Agrawal and AM Sapre that four weekstimeisinsufficientforre-conductingthe examination. Rohatgi said the exam would be conducted at around 1,000 centres and since vacations are going on, there is a shortage of teachers. He said that the board also needs time to prepare the question papers again.

"A large number of schools would be required for the exam. There is shortage of teachers, invigilators and para-military forces," he said. The Attorney General said that normally the board needs around seven months time to hold examinations but "we have compromised and seek only three months time".

However, the court said, "In the past, everything was done in one month. We are living in an era of technology and everything is possible now." During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Medical Council of India (MCI), which conducts counselling, urged CBSE to squeeze its time period and hold the exam within the period decided by the apex court. "We are not in adversarial litigation. We are only concerned with future of the students. If the deadline is not maintained, only state quota seats would be filled. Thus there will be two parallel batches for the same course which will affect future post-graduate admissions and ultimately students will suffer," he said. The bench said, "Work out the things together as you are sailing in the same boat. We have got genuine difficulty and we cannot do away with the dispute. "The CBSE on Thursday told the court that it would be "impossible" for it to re-conduct in four weeks the scrapped exam as earlier directed by the SC in its June 15 order.