The revised examination pattern for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) PG Super Speciality exam (NEET PG SS) will be implemented only from 2022, the Central government told the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, told a Bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud that the government in deference to the observations made by the Court and keeping in view the larger interest of candidates, has decided not to implement the revised pattern for NEET PG SS 2021, reports Bar and Bench.
Thus, the 2021 exam will be held as per the old pattern.
The Supreme Court recorded the same in its order and disposed of the plea.
“ASG Aishwarya Bhati states that decision has been taken by Union of India in consultation with National Medical Commission and National Board of Examination that modified pattern will be in effect from academic year 2022-23. Since the grievance stands addressed, petitions under Article 32 are disposed of,” the Court said.
The Court also made it clear that the order will not amount to an adjudication on the validity of the revised pattern.
“Since Centre has taken a decision to hold the NEET SS 2021 on the basis of erstwhile pattern which held the field till now, it is not necessary to adjudicate the validity of the modified pattern,” the order said.
The Supreme Court had on Tuesday observed that heavens will not fall if the authorities decide to implement the new pattern from next year while allowing the present pattern to continue for this year.
The sudden change in pattern, the Court had remarked would cause grave prejudice to students and also send signals that medical education has become a “business.”
“Just because you have authority can it be exercised (like this)? Would the heavens have fallen if it was done from next year? What would happen if a years time would be given to students to prepare. Changing the pattern is in the domain of experts but do it in a way experts should do, not in this fashion. Otherwise it sends a signal that medical profession and medical regulation has also become a business ! We hope better sense prevails,” the Court had remarked.
The plea by 41 PG qualified doctors had challenged abrupt last-minute changes to the pattern contending that the same was done to favour general medicine candidates.
The petitioners challenged an August 31, 2021 information bulletin announcing the change.
The plea filed through advocate Javedur Rahman said that aspirants have all along been preparing in terms of the pattern that has been in place for the last three years, especially because on earlier occasions i.e. in 2018 and 2019 when changes in the pattern/scheme were proposed to be made, the changed pattern/scheme was made public almost six months prior to the exam.
The plea stated that dates of the NEET-SS 2021 were announced on July 23, 2021 but the changed pattern was made public more than a month thereafter on August 31 “when only 2 months remained before the NEET-SS, 2021 exams to be held on the 13th and 14th of November, 2021.”
This showed the manifest arbitrariness inherent in this decision, the petition said.
In its affidavit filed before the top court on Monday, the Centre had initially defended the change, stating that the same was done to ensure that seats do not go unfilled.
Further, in order to ensure that students are not affected due to the same, it had offered to postpone the exams for January 2022 instead of having it in November 2021.
The Supreme Court had, however, remained unimpressed observing that this change in exam pattern has been made to ensure seats don’t remain unfilled but noted that such vacant seats are mostly in private medical colleges.
“Logic seems to be to fill the seats. Tell us, under 5,000 super specialty seats how many are under government and how many are under private? It is for the management of colleges to see seats wastage etc,” top court had observed.
“The real prejudice is caused to students. There is no plan for future,” it added while urging the Centre to refrain from implementing the scheme for the 2021 exam.
