Will NEET PG Examination Scheduled On March 5 Be Postponed? The Latest Updates From Supreme Court

Amidst various reports indicating that the Supreme Court is likely to hear a plea seeking postponement of NEET PG on Monday or Tuesday, it is learnt that no Special Leave Petition has been filed against the order of the Telangana High Court refusing to postpone the NEET PG examination scheduled on March 5, 2023.

However, a petition has been filed before the Supreme Court on February 16 through Advocate-on-Record Milind Kumar seeking deferral of NEET PG. The petition is likely to be taken up for hearing on Friday, February 24. Presently, no listing date is available on the website of the Supreme Court.

The above Writ Petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution seeks direction to defer the NEET-PG 2022-23 examination by three months in view of the revised internship cut-off date of August 11, 2023 and further in view of the fact that the counselling will not start before that date in terms of Clause 4.4 of the Information Bulletin. As per the details available on the Supreme Court website, an application seeking ad interim relief has been filed on February 18 in the matter.

Last Wednesday, a Division Bench of the High Court for the State of Telangana refused to postpone the NEET PG examination. It was contended before the High Court that sufficient time was not granted to the medical students who graduated in the year 2021-22 to prepare for the entrance examination.

The High Court disposed of the petitions pertaining to admissions in P.G courses in Medical Sciences and Dental Sciences by its common order dated February 15, 2023 directing the petitioner students to submit a fresh representation seeking postponement of the NEET examination.

The Court said that “upon such representation being received, the respondents shall consider and pass appropriate orders in accordance with law as expeditiously as possible by keeping in mind that the Entrance Examination is scheduled to be held in the first week of March, 2023”.

It was submitted before the High Court the petitioners have completed the MBBS course and their internship is up to August 11, 2023 and were initially made ineligible to appear for NEET PG examination even though they have completed their MBBS Course for the academic year 2021-22.

The National Board of Examination in Medical Science has issued the NEET PG notification fixing the cut-off date as March 31, 2023, i.e., the persons who have completed the internship as on March 31, 2023 or before that date, were made eligible to write NEET P.G examination.

Later, when representations were made, the cut-off date for eligibility to apply for NEET PG examination was extended from March 31, 2023 to June 30, 2023 and was further to extended to August 11, 2023.

The petitioners have approached the High Court contending that the NEET PG examination which is scheduled to be held on March 5 be postponed for a reasonable time so that the petitioners can prepare for the examination.

In response, the National Medical Commission had contended that the NEET admission notification was issued in September 2022 and all the arrangements were made across the country to conduct the NEET P.G examination on March 5, 2023 and if the examinations are postponed, there will be a chaotic situation in the entire country.

Further, it was said before the Court that for the next academic year, every effort will be taken to ensure all the candidates who have completed MBBS/BDS course are made eligible and every opportunity will be given to the students to prepare for the examination and take up the examination.

The Advocate-on-Record Sumanth Nookola said that representation in accordance with the decision of the High Court has been made to the National Board of Examination in Medical Science and others. The decision is awaited on the question of deferral of the NEET PG examination.

Click here to read/download Order of Telangana High Court

Cause Title- Ganesh Pawar & Ors. v. Union of India