The Court declined to issue orders to postpone the exam from its scheduled date, noting that around 28,000 students are slated to appear for the exam.
While hearing the matter on Friday, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) said, “An effort has been made by the National Dental Commission (NDC) to bring back on rails the commencement of dental courses to the pre-COVID schedule. This cannot be regarded as arbitrary to seek intervention of court. On parameters of judicial review, we think it is inappropriate to interfere at this stage. We decline to intervene in the present matter.”
On February 16, NEET-MDS aspirants approached the Supreme Court seeking the postponement of the exam and revision of the internship completion cut-off date. They cited COVID-related delays affecting more than 8,000 students’ ability to finish their internships before the deadline, thus barring them from the exam. The Court disposed of the petition on February 21, directing the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) to address the issue within a week.
Also Read: Manipur To Introduce Grading System In Class 10 Board Exam
Subsequently, on March 7, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) released a notice extending the internship completion cut-off date for NEET-MDS eligibility until June 30, 2024. However, the exam date remained unchanged. In response, the students filed a miscellaneous application in the Supreme Court, seeking to reopen the petition, arguing that the Union had not made a decision on the matter.