Supreme Court Verdict on NEET PG 2022 Postponement: Check SC Decision on Postponement

Supreme Court Verdict on NEET PG 2022 Postponement: The Supreme Court of India took up the hearing on NEET PG 2022 Postponement on May 13, 2022 in the morning session. The hearing began at 11:30 a.m. The postponement plea, filed by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) on May 06 on behalf of the aspirants across the nation, was taken up under urgent matters as the exam in question was scheduled for May 21. The hearing was led by Justices Shri D.Y. Chandrachud and Shri Surya Kant. Senior Advocate Ramesh Khanna represented the petitioners.

In the hearing, the Supreme Court addressed the arguments made by the petitioners which included the delay in the counselling round of NEET PG 2021, the ongoing stray counselling round, and the clash between NEET PG 2021 and NEET PG 2022. In response to the points raised by Advocate Khanna, the representative council of the government said that they are trying to bring back the regular academic session, which the pandemic had disrupted, and further delay in the examination is not viable. However, the court noted that conducting NEET PG 2022 on May 21 would be a violation of the fundamental rights of the students.

In contrast, the SC also said that the regular academic session is already delayed by 4 months and further postponement is not good. Any delay in conducting the exam would result in fewer resident doctors. This year, there are just two sets of doctors. The petition cannot be granted since it would have an impact on patient care and the doctors' careers. These are issues that fall under the policy domain. There is no need to evaluate it unless it is manifestly arbitrary. In the conflict between those who have registered and those who have not registered, patient care and treatment must take precedence.

Also Read: Live Updates of Supreme Court Hearing on NEET PG 2022 Postponement

Highlights of Supreme Court Verdict on NEET PG 2022 Postponement

The major highlights of the decision given by the Supreme Court are stated below. Supreme Court has dismissed the plea seeking the postponement of NEET PG 2022. The points made by SC are:

• As the country tries to get back to the regular timeline, the schedule drawn out by the conducting authority must be adhered to.
• This matter falls under the policy domain, and, unless it is manifestly arbitrary, there is no need to consider it further.
• Delay in conducting NEET PG 2022 would result in a lesser number of resident doctors in hospitals, and this will impact patient care and the career of the doctors. Additionally, the postponement will create chaos and uncertainty. Therefore, the schedule must be followed.
• The need for patient care and treatment must supersede the conflict between the candidates who have registered and not registered.
• In regards to the application forms closing on March 25, aspirants (although undergoing NEET PG 2021 counselling) were not barred from registering for NEET PG 2022.
• The relief sought through this petition thus cannot be granted and the plea stands dismissed.
• NEET PG 2022 will be conducted as scheduled, on May 21, 2022.

Prior to the hearing, since the release of the revised dates, the candidates have been seeking further postponement as the NEET PG 2021 Counselling Round was delayed which left only a week’s gap for studies. On May 12, the aspirants also organized a nationwide protest in addition to the online protests in support of the postponement by at least 8 to 10 weeks. In this duration, many MPs, organizations, and others wrote to the Union Health Ministry of India seeking postponement but the aspirants received no reply from the ministry which eventually led the case to the Supreme Court.

Also Read: NEET PG Previous Years’ Difficulty Level, Topic-Wise Weightage

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