SC refuses to extend internship deadline

New Delhi, February 8

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to extend the internship deadline for National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-PG-22 and asked the MBBS students seeking extending one-year internship deadline beyond May 31 to make a representation to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

Without expressing any opinion on the issue, a Bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud asked the ministry to take a call on the representation within one week in view of the hardships faced by aspirants. The date of NEET-PG-22, earlier scheduled to be held in March, has now been extended, it pointed out.

On behalf of the MBBS students, senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi contended that the examination had been extended, but there was one important criterion that needed to be looked into as it requires students appearing for the examination to have a complete one-year mandatory internship by May 31, 2022, to be eligible for the NEET-PG-22. “The deadline can be extended by a month or two,” Rohatgi demanded.

The Bench refused to oblige him, saying it would not like to step into the policy decision as there was no uniform date for commencement of internships. “Ends of justice will be met by making a representation to the Health Ministry showing the hardships being faced by students. We request the representation be considered expeditiously in one week upon receiving it,” it said.