A Story on NEET PG 2022: Controversies, Protests, Supreme Court Decision

Ever since the notification for NEET PG 2022 was released, there have been several demands to postpone the exam. While the exam was initially scheduled to be conducted on March 12, a delay in the 2021 admission process and certain policy matters led to the postponement of the exam till May 21. Due to the court cases on reservation policies pertaining to OBC and EWS quota, the 2021 counselling was further, and the All-India Quota counselling ended only on May 3.

Over the past few weeks, the demand to postpone NEET PG 2022 reached new heights, National Board of Examinations (NBE) and the Union Health Ministry are tight-lipped about the student demands. Despite protests on May 6 across the country by PG medical aspirants, no response has come from the exam authority or ministry. On the other hand, the latest notice of NBE issued on May 10 regarding NEET PG 2022 clearly indicated that the exam would be held as scheduled.

While the student demands reached the Supreme Court in the form of a petition, a hearing took place on May 13, and the apex court dismissed the plea seeking exam postponement. 

Live Updates of Supreme Court Hearing on NEET PG 2022 Postponement

A Recap of Recent Happenings of NEET PG 2022

Demand to postpone NEET PG 2022 intensified the since the 3rd week of April, and here are some of the major happenings that took place –

• On May 13, 2022, Supreme Court Dismissed a plea seeking NEET PG 2022 postponement. Exam to happen on May 21. Here is the Supreme Court Verdict on NEET PG 2022 Postponement
• NEET PG 2021 was conducted in September and the 2021 admission process got delayed till January 2022 due to court cases. Usually, the NEET PG exam happens in January every year, and the admission process concludes by June/ July
• Indian Medical Association (IMA) and FAIMA have urged the Union Health Ministry to postpone NEET PG 2022 at least by 8 to10 weeks and submitted a letter in this regard
• IMA met Union Health Ministry to express student demands but no decision on NEET PG 2022 postponement was made
• FAIMA tried to reach NMC and Union Health Ministry to postpone NEET PG 2022, but no decision has come out on postponement
• Several MPs from different parts of the country wrote letters to Union Health Ministry to postpone the exam
• Several associations and political parties supported PG medical aspirants
• FAIMA called for a Twitter storm with the hashtag #POSTPONENEETPG_MODIJI and this received a decent response from students. The hashtag even trended on Twitter
• Several PG medical aspirants met at Jantar Mantar and organized a silent protest seeking NEET PG 2022 postponement on May 8
• A similar protest was also held in Hyderabad where PG medical aspirants gathered seeking the postponement of the exam
• Supreme Court agreed to hear the plea seeking NEET PG 2022 postponement on May 10, and the hearing date has been confirmed as May 13
• NBE issues fresh notice indicating that NEET PG 2022 is to be conducted as scheduled and admit card to be placed on the official website
• ABVP met Union Health Ministry to submit a memorandum seeking exam postponement on May 12
• A team of IMA met Union Health Minister seeking exam postponement. However, the minister cleared that the they are not willing to postpone the exam scheduled on May 21, as NEET PG 2023 is scheduled to happen in January. 
• PG medical aspirants continue their campaign to postpone the exam

Why NEET PG 2022 are Aspirants Demanding Exam Postponement?

Here are the reasons why NEET PG 2022 aspirants are demanding exam postponement –

• The delay in NEET PG 2021 counselling because of which mid-rankers are in dilemma whether to continue their preparation for NEET PG 2022. The AIQ counselling dragged till May 3, and state-level PG medical counselling was still underway till May 7/10
• 5,000 interns who served the nation during the Covid-19 pandemic did not complete their internship on time and lost eligibility to appear for NEET PG 2022

Are all NEET PG 2022 Aspirants Looking for Exam Postponement?

The approximate number of NEET PG 2022 takers is around 1,50,000. Not all students are demanding the postponement of exam. Instead, certain students are against the campaigns that are being made to postpone the exam. However, a majority of students want the exam to be postponed.

Will Supreme Court Postpone NEET PG 2022?

Before accepting the petition, the Supreme Court made a hint – “How can we postpone a national exam”. This clearly indicates that the apex court might not entrain a decision to postpone the exam. The apex court will mostly not involve in policy matters and leave the decision to the exam authority. As predicted, the court dismissed the plea seeking postponement. 

Also Read: What to expect from Supreme Court decision on NEET PG 2022 Postponement?

Will NEET PG 2022 Postponement Impact Admission Process & 2023 Exam?

Postponement of NEET PG 2022 by 8-10 weeks might impact the admission process. If the exam happens in July or August, the admission process will again be delayed and the 2023 aspirants might have similar issues that certain 2022 aspirants are facing. This might be one of the reasons why the exam authority and Union Health Ministry are tight-lipped.

Conclusion

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted medical education in India drastically. As the 2021 exam happened late and the admission process was delayed due to court cases, certain 2022 aspirants might be facing a negative impact. However, it is to be understood that the government is trying to bring things back to normal. On the other hand, the government should also make sure that the policy matters related to admission should not run into controversies and lead to an unnecessary delay in the admission process. It is important for the admission authority to make sure that the future admission process should happen in a smooth manner.

All the Best to students appearing for NEET PG 2022! Stay strong