[BREAKING] Supreme Court orders postponement of AIIMS INI CET Examination 2021 by one month

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to postpone the INI CET Examination, 2021 by one month (Poulami Mondal v. All India Institute of Medical Sciences)..The exam which was scheduled to be held on June 16, can be held any time after expiry of a month, the Court clarified. ."The fixing of the INI CET on 16.06.2021 is arbitrary and discriminatory, more so since other important examinations including Joint Entrance Examinations, Board Examinations etc. have been postponed. The impugned notice is, therefore, set aside. The INI CET is directed to be postponed by at least a month from 16th June, 2021. The AIIMS shall fix a convenient date for the INI CET at least one month after 16th June, 2021," the Court ordered.The order was passed by a Bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and MR Shah on a petition filed by twenty-six doctors and the Indian Medical Association (Chattisgarh Chapter). .The INI CET Exam is conducted for admissions to higher studies in the field of medicine/post graduate studies.The petition by twenty-six doctors, filed through advocate Pallavi Pratap, and the IMA plea by Advocates Tanvi Dubey and Charu Mathur said that holding the examination on June 16 would be in utter disregard to the assurance with respect to postponement of PG Examinations, given by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) while postponing the NEET PG Examination, 2021 by four months.It was also stated in the said communication by PMO that the students will be given at least one month’s time in order to prepare for the said examination."In the instant case, only 19 days prior notice is given. 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," the petition said.The petitioners also cited how holding the examination in the midst of the pandemic will pile up pressure on graduate doctors and highlighted how board exams were cancelled."In the prevailing circumstances due to COVID-19, the conducting of this examination is resulting in building up pressure on the graduate doctors from across India to sit for the examination on 16th June, 2021, when under the present circumstances the Board examinations (Central Board of Secondary Education 10th and 12th Grade) and other professional examinations have been either cancelled or postponed," the petition stated.Moreover, many doctors are not fully vaccinated and many have not even received the first dose of COVID vaccine. Therefore, holding the examination could endanger their lives, it was contended..When the matter was taken up as item 7, the Court asked AIIMS why the exam cannot be postponed for a month. "Situation in Delhi has improved but in other places figures are high. cant this postponed by a month," asked Justice Banerjee. Advocate Dushyant Parashar, appearing for AIIMS, submitted that if the exam is stayed then there will be an unprecedented crisis. "Staying the exam will create an unprecedented crisis. 1000 doctors will be recruited by this exam. these petitoners can apply in the next September session exam. If stay is granted there will be no doctors," said Parashar. "These doctors are on COVID duty. How will they appear for exam," Justice Shah demanded. The Court then asked AIIMS counsel to take instructions on postponement of exam and kept the case for hearing at 12.30. When the matter was taken up after 12.30, the Court ordered postponement of exam for a month. .Senior Advocate Arvind Datar appeared for the petitioners (IMA). .[READ ORDER]