Postpone AIIMS INI CET 2021 Amid COVID, Doctors Move Supreme Court

A group of 23 MBBS doctors have filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court seeking the postponement of the Institutes of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI CET 2021) which is scheduled to be conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on June 16.

The INI CET 2021 exams with over 80,000 candidates have been scheduled on very short notice of 19 days, while the doctors are still working as front-line workers on Covid-19 duties, says the petition filed through Adovcate-on-Record Pallavi Pratap.

One of the petitioners is an a very serious condition battling COVID-19 in an ICU. The petitioners state that the notification of INICET on June 16 is in total disregard to statement issued by PMO while postponing NEET PG exam that at least a month's time will be given for preparation and any PG exam will be conducted only after August 2021.

It is stated that many of the doctors are not fully vaccinated and a lot of them have not received even their 1stdose. They point out that that the conduct of the INICET on June 16 is wholly arbitrary and irrational, especially as the NEET-PG exams and the Class 10 and 12 exams of CBSE, ICSE and various state boards have been postponed.

"The conducting of this examination is resulting in endangering the life of thousands of doctors who are frontline workers in different hospitals which is a clear negation of Article 21 of the Constitution of India", the plea states.

Also centres for examination are in different states or far from the aspirants' place of working which may require travelling and thereby facing travel restrictions.

It is contended that AIIMS is coming within the definition of "state" under Article 12 of the Constitution and hence a writ petition under Article 32 is maintainable against it.

The petitioners clarify that they are not against the exams per se but are only objecting to conducting it on June 16, and pray for a writ of mandamus directing AIIMS to posptone the same considering the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

"...interference of the court is warranted because the students who have filled up the form but are treating COVID-19 patients on a daily basis and therefore are at a huge risk of contracting COVID-19and thereby ousted from taking the examination".

The INI CET is the exam for admission to postgraduate courses in leading government medical institutes in the country including AIIMS, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) Puducherry, and National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru.

The INI-CET regulates admission to around 800 seats for which more than 80,000 candidates appear.

It may be noted that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for postgraduate courses, or NEET PG 2021, was postponed by four months in early May,