AIIMS INI-CET 2021: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the deferment of the AIIMS INI-CET 2021 (National Importance Combined Entrance Test) examination for admission to postgraduate medical courses in AIIMS, JIPMER, PGIMER and NIMHANS by at least one month in view of the Covid situation.
The exam was scheduled to be held on June 16. The order came on a batch of pleas seeking postponement of the entrance exams considering the Covid situation in the country. The Bench comprising Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice MR Shah said that the decision to hold the exam on June 16 was "arbitrary" and it should be postponed by a month.
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The Bench said that considering the candidates had been rendering Covid duties far away from Centres chosen and inadequate time for preparation, "we are of the view that fixation of the date on June 16 is arbitrary". "We direct AIIMS to postpone the exam by at least one month. Needless to mention that authorities of AIIMS would give an appropriate date from one month from June 16," the Bench said.
- Two petitions were filed in the SC — one by a group of 23 MBBS doctors and another by the Indian Medical Association, Medical Student Network (Chhattisgarh Chapter) along with 35 serving doctors currently serving in Covid duties.
- The pleas directions to postpone the exam being conducted for admission to postgraduate courses in Government Medical Institutes including AIIMS, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) and National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS).
- Appearing for doctors, senior advocate Arvind Datar told the court about the appeal made by Prime Minister Modi to MBBS doctors to join Covid duties and the assurance made by him to postpone the NEET exam. He argued that the NEET exams scheduled in May were postponed to August. If that exam can be deferred, he said, why not INI-CET?
- Datar also said that the AIIMS failed to take into account that many students were currently posted in Covid duties and writing an examination would require them to leave the duty and travelling for doctors posted in rural areas will be a cumbersome process.
- For AIIMS, advocate Dushyant Parashar argued that the prospectus was issued in March and the candidates were well aware of the exams. And if the exams stay, he said, there will be a scarcity of doctors.
- Parashar also said that the entrance exam in question is held twice in a year and if the petitioners have any difficulty in attending the June exams, they can appear for the next exams scheduled in October-November.
- He also said that the current outgoing batch of about 1000 junior doctors will exit by the end of July from all participating Institutes. And if the timely replacement has not been provided, he said, it will adversely and severely affect the working of attached hospital and patient care.
- Parashar argued that the country was facing unprecedented circumstances and it was necessary to keep the medical workforce in ready state for upcoming eventualities. “Any stay on examination will cause a setback in patient care with a shortfall of 1000 medical professionals and complete loss of a session to the brightest medical students," he submitted.
- After hearing the arguments from both sides, the court decided to postpone the exam by one month. It said that the fixing of the exam on "June 16 is arbitrary and discriminatory". "...since other important examinations including Joint Entrance Examinations, Board Examinations have been postponed. The impugned notice is, therefore, set aside. The INI CET is directed to be postponed by at least a month from June 16, 2021," the bench said.
- The court also issued notice to Health Ministry, Home Ministry and National Medical Council on pleas by final year MD students to delay the final exams as the resident doctors have been on Covid duty and have not had time to prepare for exams.
(With inputs from PTI)
