[NEET PG 2022] Approach Centre with representations for extension of internship deadline: Supreme Court

In a petition regarding the deadline for completion of internship to be eligible for applying for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test post graduate exam 2022 (NEET PG 2022), the Supreme Court granted petitioners leave to approach the Central government for postponement of the same..The Court directed the Central government to consider the representations made by the petitioners within one week of receiving them.“Ends of justice will be met by making a representation to Health Ministry showing the hardship being faced by students. We request representation be considered expeditiously from one week upon receiving it,” recorded a Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant and Vikram Nath..Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the petitioners, urged that the cut-off date be extended by three months.However, the Court was not inclined to entertain this prayer, noting that it would amount to encroaching on a policy matter.“We can record the statement based on hardship, and you make representation to Centre and ask Centre to consider this prayer a little sympathetically,” the Bench advised..One of the main prayers in the petition was to postpone the date of NEET PG 2022, which was earlier scheduled to be held on March 12.However, before the hearing took place on Friday last week, the Central government announced its decision to postpone the exam by 6 to 8 weeks, rendering the prayer on the same infructuous.Nevertheless, the issue regarding internship persisted since many petitioners said that they would not be in a position to comply with the deadline fixed for completing internship - May 31. The completion of internship is one of the eligibility criteria to apply for the exam..The plea said that many final-year MBBS candidates had joined as frontline workers on COVID-19 duties, which delayed the commencement of their internships."When the candidates made informal enquiries from the colleges regarding the internship extension date for next year and whether the same will affect the registration for NEET-PG 2022, they were given an oral assurance by the colleges that the same will not clash with registration requirement for NEET-PG 2022-23. However, on January 15, 2022, the candidates were shocked to note that they will not be able to register for one (1) year compulsory internship on or before 31st May 2022, as required under Clause 4.1 of the Information Bulletin," the plea filed through Advocate Charu Mathur said..Thus, the condition is manifestly arbitrary as it deprives thousands of candidates to apply for the examination, the petition stated..NEET PG 2022: Hearing in Supreme Court on application date, internship deadline deferred for Feb 8