Doctors Move Supreme Court To Postpone NEET PG Exam Citing COVID19 Second Wave

A group of MBBS doctors have approached the Supreme Court seeking the postponement of the NEET-PG exams scheduled on April 18 citing grave apprehensions of COVID-19 infection amid the second wave of the pandemic.

The plea states that compelling doctors who are treating COVID-19 patients on a daily basis to attend a physical exam will be equivalent to putting the lives of thousands of people on peril.

The petition(Farsulla Shafi and others v Union of India and others) filed though Pallavi Pratap, Advocate on Record, refers to the recent decision to cancel the CBSE Class 10 exams and to postpone Class 12 exams, which were scheduled to commence from May 4.

The examination, which was initially scheduled on January 5, 2021, was postponed, even though the pandemic situation then was comparatively under control. So, to conduct them when there is a massive surge of COVID cases is arbitrary and unreasonable, the petitioners argue. It is also stated that majority of doctors have not received the second dose of COVID vaccination.

The petitioners also challenge the clause in the April 9 notification issued by the National Board of Examinations, which bar COVID-19 infected persons from exams, as an arbitrary exclusion. An alternate prayer is sought to allow candidates who may have contracted COVID in the past 15 days to re-appear in the test. The petition highlights that the doctors got infected with coronavirus while performing their duties as frontline warriors, and hence it is unreasonable and discriminatory to totally oust them from exam.

The petitioners also raise a grievance that state governments of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Chattisgarh have issued directions to doctors to compulsorily attend duties, despite the NEET exam. Also, many state governments have tightened restrictions, making free movement difficult.

The petition is likely to be considered by the Supreme Court tomorrow.

Update at 7.10 PM : Central Govt decided to postpone NEETPG2021 exam, which was earlier scheduled to be held on Apr 18.  Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said.