Supreme Court To Examine On Monday Whether To Postpone NEET PG 2023, Calls For Data From National Board of Examination
The Supreme Court today sought data from the National Board of Examination, inter-alia, as to the number of additional applications which were received for NEET PG examination after the cut-off date for completion of the internship was extended.
“We will keep it on Monday, February 27. We are not indicating we are postponing. We are not passing any Order either way,” said a Bench comprising Justice S. Ravindra Bhat and Justice Dipankar Datta which was hearing the petitions seeking postponement of the NEET PG exam scheduled on March 05.
“I do not have exact numbers. I have conjecture,” said Senior Advocate Gopal Shankaranarayanan before the Court but said that not only the petitioners but around 45,000 others would be affected.
“There could be no alternative date in the near future for conducting NEET PG. We follow the schedule laid down by this Court,” submitted Aishwarya Bhati, Additional Solicitor General, who appeared for the National Board of Examination.
“If counselling is in August, why examination in March,” said Senior Advocate Mukul Rohtagi, who appeared for petitioners seeking postponement of the exam.
“Then, everybody will have to wait. Those who are waiting, it's really a mental torture,” orally remarked the Court.
“Counselling will compulsorily happen after August 11, 2023. This year the gap between exam and counselling is 6 months, earlier (last year) the gap was 1 month. This gives us less time to prepare and we have only gone halfway through our internships. 19 subjects arise from internship,” said Senior Advocate Advocate Shankaranarayanan.
“If the exam (NEET PG 2023) is pushed by 4-6 weeks. Last year, it was pushed by 8 weeks”, he added further.
Meanwhile, before the Supreme Court took up the pleas for hearing, the National Medical Commission issued a Speaking Order on its website saying that the NEET PG examination will be conducted on March 5 as scheduled, while rejecting the representation made by the petitioners who earlier approached the Telangana High Court.
Writ Petitions were filed under Article 32 of the Constitution seeking direction to defer the NEET-PG 2022-23 examination by three months in view of the revised internship cut-off date of August 11, 2023 and further in view of the fact that the counselling will not start before that date in terms of Clause 4.4 of the Information Bulletin.
Last Wednesday, a Division Bench of the High Court for the State of Telangana refused to postpone the NEET PG examination. It was contended before the High Court that sufficient time was not granted to the medical students who graduated in the year 2021-22 to prepare for the entrance examination.
Cause Title- Ganesh Pawar & Ors. v. Union of India
