The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the National Board of Examinations and the National Medical Commission over last-minute changes that were brought to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Super Specialty (NEET-SS) Exams 2021.
A bench comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and B.C. Nagarathna asked the NBE and NBC why the changes in pattern could not be deferred to the following year.
“Students start preparing for super specialty courses months and months in advance. Why is the need to change the same last minute before the exam? Why can you not proceed with the changes from the following year,” Justice Chandrachud asked.
The court was hearing a writ petition filed by 41 PG doctors, who challenged the last-minute changes made to the pattern of the NEET-Super Speciality exam, alleging that it favoured practitioners of general medicine.
A month after the NEET-SS 2021 exam dates were announced on July 23, the National Medical Commission on August 31 had announced a change to the pattern of question papers, altering the marking scheme for different subjects. While the prevailing pattern between 2018-20 saw 60 per cent of marks alloted from super specialty questions with just 40 per cent for questions from feeder courses, now the entirety of questions for critical care super speciality will be drawn from general medicines.
Justice Chandrachud asked Advocate Guarav Sharma, the NCM’s counsel, “What is the NMC doing? We’re dealing with lives of doctors. You issue notice and then change the pattern?”
The NBE said the changed were “well-considered” and had been in contemplation for some time and enforced after necessary approvals were obtained, and sought time to file reply.
Justice Chandrachud replied, “Don‘t treat young doctors as footballs in the game of power. Hold the meeting and put your house on order. We can’t put these doctors at the mercy of insensitive bureaucrats.”
“This is so important for their career. Now you cannot introduce changes last minute,” Justice Chandrachud said. “The pattern of study is according to pattern of exams. If you change it suddenly then what will happen?” asked Justice Nagarathna.
The petitioners had said they were “surprised to see the scheme of the NEET-SS exams in Part 4, having undergone a complete change without any sort of advance intimation, with only two months left for the exam whilst the Petitioners have all along been preparing in terms of the extant pattern/scheme of the exam, having absolutely no reason to think that any such drastic change will be made so close to the specified data nd without the lawful authority i.e. the Central Government directing to do so,” it read.
The SC has posted the matter for further hearing on September 27. The NEET-SS 2021 is set to take place on November 13-14.
